Symposium Report
03/02/2007 03:59 PM
International Symposium for Acoustic Ecology Victorian College of the Arts, Melbourne, Australia, March 19th-23rd, 2003 Daily Symposium Reports by Paul Howard We would like to thank Symposium attendee Paul Howard for his daily summary reports from the conference. He provides a daily overview of events, speakers, and insights into topics from a personal perspective. See also: Symposium Program and Hearing Place: Exhibition and Audiotheque. Symposium Report Day 1: Wednesday, March 19th Day one of the Symposium featured presentations which focused on the philosophical, cultural, and political implications of Acoustic Ecology. Nigel Frayne gave a brief introduction, including the observation "Acoustic Ecology is an idea whose time has come." Warren Burt gave an overview of the Symposium. He kept the presenters moving along at a brisk pace. Hildegard Westerkamp led the Symposium on a soundwalk. Paul Carter addressed the subject of Acoustic Ecology as a cross-discipline, and emphasized the transforming quality of audio. Michael Noble covered a wide range of topics including the political implications of Acoustic Ecology. He asked "What sounds do we listen to, and why?" The next presentation was a recording of the BBC Radio program Lost Sounds of the Russian Futurists, which included a description of the ANS synthesizer machine. Tadahiko Imada spoke of the relationship between semiotics and Acoustic Ecology. She pointed out that soundscapes are culturally specific. Anton Hassel and Dr Neil MacLachan talked about large bells and their links to social experiences. Bells can be heard over large area, and in public and private places, thereby providing a sense of community. Kozo Hiramatsu defined soundscapegraphy. He described the soundscape of a historic area of Kyoto, and the sounds of the 1000-year-old Gion festival held yearly in that city. Roger Alsop spoke about sound worlds of James Joyce's Ulysses. Personal Observations of the Day From my perspective as a newcomer to Acoustic Ecology, two presentations were the most striking. Those were the soundwalk, and the description of the Gion Festival in Kyoto. Hildegard Westerkamp asked the soundwalk participants to remain silent while walking. Being silent heightens the senses, especially hearing. I live in the area where we walked, and thought I knew it well. I had no idea how much I had turned off my ears, until the soundwalk. Sounds jumped at me. Sometimes I had the feeling I was being attacked. Other sounds were reassuring, encouraging. Kozo Hiramatsu told a touching story about a bedridden woman who could tell she had lived another year when she heard the sounds of the Gion Festival. Sound can be a measure of time; a milestone
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of survival. Victoria College of the Arts is an ideal place for a meeting of minds. The atmosphere is open and accepting. Symposium Report Day 2 - Thursday, March 20th Day two of the Symposium featured presentations dealing with environmental, architectural and spiritual implications of Acoustic Ecology. Isabel Clouther gave a convincing argument for preserving lost sounds of nature. She suggested Acoustic Ecology can give an urgently needed sense of perspective for humanity. Per Hedfors described how Acoustic Ecology can be applied to landscape architecture. Jo Thomas presented excerpts from her sound composition called Angels, which suggests a plane of existence other than our own. Scott Smallwood and Stephan Moore talked about their own vision of public performance, which involves capturing sounds from the surroundings, processing them, and transmitting them back to the audience. Norm Broner spoke about the often discussed, but hard to define idea of sound quality. Brian Luke talked about representation and the art of the soundscape. He suggested "sounds have their own integrity." Keiko Torigoe described three soundscapes she has visited in Japan. Bruce Johnson gave a historical description of how the human race has moved from speaking to reading to being visually oriented. Bernd Rohrmann discussed the unique soundscapes found in restaurants and pubs. He asked "What does the customer want in this environment?" Personal Observations of the Day For me, as an outsider to Acoustic Ecology, one highlight of the day (among others) was Jo Thomas' Angels. She used the power of suggestion to touch on fantasies of flight and timelessness. Her work freed the imagination of the listener. The result was hypnotic and liberating. Bernd Rohrmann's talk was interesting because music in eating and drinking establishments is always present and therefore overlooked. It is remarkable how positive the exchange of ideas has been between people of different nationalities, ages and disciplines at this Symposium. This gathering can serve as an example of how people should interact. I feel lucky to be involved and to report what I can to the reader. Symposium Report Day 3- Friday, March 21st Day three of the Symposium dealt with the role of education in Acoustic Ecology, among other topics. Murray Schafer brought a group of primary school children to the Symposium. He guided the children together with Symposium participants through a series of listening exercises. Helen Dilkes outlined children's soundwalks in which she participated. She spoke of the importance of making sounds an essential part of children's sense of place.
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John Trevor described a soundscape project in Newcastle, Australia. He believes in the maxim "One learns what one does." Ian Jones discussed the latest in vibration analysis, acoustics, aircraft noise, and active reverberation. Neil McLachlan spoke of signal analysis in environmental acoustics. Peggy Rismiller's talk described acoustic communication in echidnas (anteaters) on Kangaroo Island, Australia. Greg Wagstaff reported on the Touring Exhibition of Sound Environments in Scotland's Outer Hebrides. He spoke of school listening exercises and interpretive soundwalks. Gerald Mair talked about three-dimensional sound at an installation called Scapa Flow 1919. Grant Sonnex discussed a SoundSphere installation at a BBC Wildlife Exhibit.
Personal Observations of the Day I found Murray Schafer's work on listening skills with school children especially memorable. The presence of children helped we Symposium participants to lower our inhibitions. One listening exercise (among many others) involved asking a child to close her eyes, throw a plastic bottle a few meters away, then find it without opening her eyes. The child had to rely on the sound of the bottle hitting the floor. This was surprisingly hard. In another exercise, two children had noise makers. One rubbed a cheese grater with a piece of wood, the other banged on a saucepan. Mr Schafer asked Symposium participants to close our eyes and point with one hand to the first child, other to the second, as they moved independently around the auditorium stage. Mr Schafer periodically asked the adults to open our eyes to check how accurate our pointing was. It was not accurate, in most cases. Tracking two sounds at the same time was hard to do, even for audio professionals. Mr Schafer's work with children gives hope for the future. He is an educator and a role model. Symposium Report Day 4- Saturday, March 22nd Day four of the Symposium dealt with Acoustic Ecology applied to digital networks, urban noise, the soundscape of Russia, and included a soundwalk. Sabine Breitsameter talked about digital networks from an Acoustic Ecology perspective. She gave a detailed definition of Acoustic Ecology. Keiko Torigoe, Gregg Wagstaff, Hildegard Westerkamp, and Warren Burt did a panel discussion about digital networks and Acoustic Ecology, followed by a question and answer session. Hildegard Westerkamp did the second soundwalk of the Symposium, this time in an urban park. Ray Gallon described the destructive effects of urban noise, especially motors and amplified sounds, such as background music. Sawako Kato spoke of urban soundscapes in Japan. She is particularly interested in the effects of personal listening devices that use headphones. Mikhail Polichtchouk played recordings of the soundscape of Russia.
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Jason Patton proposed using meditative listening techniques to improve listening skills.
Personal Observations of the Day I greatly enjoyed Sabine Breitsameter's talk because she gave the first complete definition of Acoustic Ecology of this Symposium. I consider this a major step forward, considering Acoustic Ecology is the Symposium's subject. Ms. Breitsameter's definition is too lengthy to write here, but it begins at a crucial point. Dissatisfaction with the sonic environment has been discussed many times at this Symposium, and seems almost universal. She also touches on another crucial point: the listener both affects and is affected by the sonic environment. Acoustic Ecology is a two way street. Ray Gallon made points about urban noise that resonated with me. I live in a high-rise apartment in Melbourne, and constantly marvel at the noise level. Symposium Report Day 4- Sunday, March 23rd Day five of the Symposium dealt with Acoustic Ecology applied to linguistics, the beginnings of the soundscape movement, environmental audio, and Aeolian (wind) sound. This was the last day of the Symposium. There was a closing address followed by a roundtable discussion. The first presentation was a radio show by Isobel Clouter about Murray Schafer and the soundscape movement. Murray Schafer reflected on historical changes in the soundscape, loss of privacy and the erosion of listening skills in the information age. He spoke of listening applied to psychoanalysis, and led the audience in listening exercises. Ros Bandt described installations she has done which make sounds from the wind. Warren Burt played a series of original compositions using environmental sounds. Andrew Skeoch played nature sound recordings he made from the Australian outback. Nick Evans is a linguist who explored indigenous Australian languages from an Acoustic Ecology perspective. Noora Vikman described her study of Acoustic Ecology in a northern Italian village. Gregg Wagstaff reported on the Touring Exhibition of Sound Environments in Scotland's Outer Hebrides. Nigel Frayne gave a closing address. He summarized the Symposium. Mr Frayne introduced several leaders of member organizations in the World Forum for Acoustic Ecology. The newest member is the Japanese Association for Sound Ecology. A panel discussion followed which covered a range of topics, including where and when the next World Forum for Acoustic Ecology meeting will be held, and in what language(s).
Personal Observations of the Day The closing day of the Symposium had many brilliant moments. It is hard to know where to begin to
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review them. My personal favorite was Murray Schafer's talk. His historical perspective was convincing and coherent. Mr Schafer built an argument for an ethics of sound. I believe Mr Schafer is an ethicist at heart. He creates a moral imperative; a code sound engineers and artists can live by. He implores us to respect the privacy, habitat, and peace of mind of other beings. These are great achievements, but Mr Schafer is not content to stop there. He challenges us to "clean" our ears so we can listen, really listen, some of us for the first time in our lives. Nigel Frayne has worked tirelessly to make this Symposium possible, and has set an example with his professionalism and positive attitude. Prepared for the web by Gary Ferrington, Secretary WFAE
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