Journal
Thoughts/ Research

Author: Daniel Pakdel

Categories
Portfolio Y3

Lichen Project Brainstorming Continued

Systems Listening: Usnea/ Everna Prunastri/

‘the whole world – like a giant lichen’ thoreau zonca p189 – a world in a grain of sand – collaboiration is conducive to biological endurance – but not mutualist? p.191 – beyond co-operation and competition- not about mutualism but about changing the concept of the individual – as haskell puts “we need a new metaphor for the forest, one that helps us visualise plants both sharing and competing” and for that, we must no longer rely on the individual…

lichen adds physical intimacy that reveal the absurdity of separation…

P.191 ZONCA – “the lichen partners have ceased to be individuals, surrendering that possibility of drawing a line between oppressor and oppressed. Like a farmer tending her apple trees, and her field of corn, a lichen is a melding of lives. Once individuality dissolves, the score card of victors and victims makes little sense. Is corn oppressed? Does the farmer’s dependence on corn make her a victim? These questions are premised on a separation that does not exist. … Lichens add physical intimacy to this interdependence, fusing their bodies and intertwining the membranes of their cells… bound by evolution’s hand.

p.199 zonca – ‘a second individuality superimposed over the individuality of the associated beings, without destroying it.

concieving lichen on the level of this ‘second individuality’ – lichenic ensemble – lichen allows each of its constituents to develop new potential. – p200 ” the activity of each being is conveyed through the much greater capacity for activity of the partnershipm which leads to an increase of capacities for the whole ensemble.”

to notice…

lichenocene

a lichen perspective

we are all lichens

not using lichen as surrogate theory to prop up idealist notions of mutualism, there are too many other examples to draw from in the world – rather

second individuality – emergent properties

meta-organism

  • p.202 – zonca – “Thus lichen eludes the boundary between ecosystem and organism; it constitutes a tension, between an ecosystem that is supposedly ‘crystalised,’ and an organism that is supposedly open. The most useful concept, it seems to me, for moving beyond this unitary vision of the living being (organism) and for taking into account the whole ensemble of these symbiotic relationships is the one that Marc-André Selosse more radically proposes: that of ‘interaction’.”
  • this leads to relations/ intersubjectivity – relations that constitute this idea of individuality? …
  • p.203 – “Modern science has transposed a Western philosophy based on the individual into a biology based on the organism. A true rupture would give interactions the central place. A spider web is not an ensemble of points, but above all the threads that hold them together.”

A circle with many centres = “p203 – “the rhizome is not made up of points, but only of lines… any individuation is not done by way of a subject or even a thing… the rhizome will not be reduced to the one or the multiple… rather of shfting directions… it has no beginnning or end, but always a middle… it constitutes multiplicities.

rhizomes continued – “living beings as configurations of intensities, as environments of interactions’

P.204 – A new biology of interactions… lichen as environment – ecology of living beings – rhizomic taxonomy

p.206 – Second Individuality to Third Place

p.208 -“the virtue of looking at lichen through a double focus, or rather by merging two focuses: the cellular, fragmentary perspective, and the global, macroscopic context” – both singular, and multiple at the same time… – microscopic to macroscopic and vice versa

p.210 – not projecting morality

towards a bioculture

lichen as a partner un our thinking

p.211 -‘an ecosystem of interactions’ – an invitation to consider the continuity between human and other living beings… – to become lichen – becoming attentive to its distinctinve charactersitics – not just making them speak – thats anthropormorphic – to be tuned into it – p.212 “to conceive, for example, its relationship to space (immobility) & (time) – what does it mean to listen to lichen? – “thinking like lichen allows us to know our ecosystem better” – lichen as a prerequisute to inform deeper listening…

lest become fungal! p.221 – “conservation is not about saving nature but about repairing our bond…

pauline oliveros wauntum listeninf- the listening efffect – as you lissten, the participles of sound decide to be heard – This poetic phrasing suggests that the act of listening calls sound into being — or at least into meaningful existence. If no one attends to a bird’s song, its expressive power is lost. But if someone is truly listening, that sound reverberates emotionally, socially, and perhaps even cosmically.

things to figure out

  1. symbiotic touch sensing philosophy – a world made of interactions – olafur eliasson – symbiotic vision – heartbeat sensor -polyphony
  2. spotlight philosophy
  3. listening to lichen soundscape philosophy
  4. cyanotype booklet
  5. title
  6. making it all coherent

Edith Stein suggests that “the species differences need not be miraculously collapsed and the human morphed into the non-human mind, for the latter remains her distinct, breathtakingly different and in many ways unknowable being” (Aaltola, 2013, p.81). Imagining the other then becomes a practice in extended empathy, one that is entrenched in our capacity to recognise how bodies, with little resemblance, are still composed of key points of affinity – a matter of differences, as opposed to similarities. We return to the very same auditory attunement that opened Haskell to the alien world of snapping shrimp. Empathetic listening here becomes a vehicle for another kind of emotional resonance, one that encourages mutual transformation through, not only embodied relations, but a care to understand the other deeply, in all their peculiarities.

 In recognition of the perceived as embodied beings, subjective reality takes on a new life, one that transcends the individuality of its participants. As Stein puts it: “From the ‘I’ and ‘you’ arises the ‘we’ as a subject of a higher level”

In the eyes of Abram – by extension of Merleau-Ponty – both the sentient and the sensed are on equal footing in their constitution of the world (1996, p.66-67). Whether conscious or not, it can be assumed then that the ‘sensible’, or any tangible form, may also be sensitive to the beings around it

Through these interactions, the quiet of the mind, and resulting urgency of the present moment, challenges the notion of emotions as mere extension of the ego, but rather patterns of consciousness, perceptible as part of an intersubjective field. Nevertheless, it is not a case of suspending our human-centered emotional responses, remaining completely neutral in the face of other life-worlds. ‘Listening in spite of the body’ here is rather remaining emotionally aware of how things exist in their own phenomenological reality, as well as how we are coloured by these perceptions. Thus I posit an empathetic, or emotionally attuned listening, as a form of clairaudience’ that opens us to the world’s sounds as autonomous, allowing us to listen without imposition. Fragments of our personal histories, traumas, or desires will always remain as part of the human experience, but with awareness, we become attuned to the same presence within the animate and inanimate world around us. It is not a matter of projecting our emotions onto what we hear, but instead recognising that the world, both human and non-human, is imbued with its own emotive resonance. The listening body then becomes an instrument of awareness rather than a filter of judgment or desire.

3. Framing Perception as Co-Creation

You’ve suggested listening is intersubjective — so frame lichen’s emotive resonance not as provable in a positivist sense, but as emerging in the relational field between human and lichen, co-constituted through attentiveness.

Joanna Macey – world as self/ ecological self… 3. Emotional responses as connection, not weakness

When we feel grief, anger, or despair about ecological destruction, it is not a personal pathology — it’s a natural expression of our deep connection to the world. These emotions are signs that we are already experiencing the world as self.

4. Motivation for action

When we see the world as part of ourselves, caring for it becomes not altruism, but self-preservation in the deepest sense. Ecological activism becomes an expression of self-care.

Donna Haraway – A Companion Species Manifesto – Emergent Naturecultures – Symbiogenesis – Bio-power/ bio-sociality

Haraway dog writing as a branch of feminist theory, or the other way around

story of co-evolution… semiotic – lichen not just surrogates for theory – they are here to live with -… ?

process philosophy – Process philosophy is a philosophical approach that emphasizes becoming, change, and novelty in reality, rejecting static views of existence. It focuses on the dynamic nature of reality, where processes, relationships, and events are more fundamental than fixed entities. 

Process philosophy highlights the importance of processes, becoming, and change over static being. It emphasizes that reality is constantly evolving and developing, rather than being a collection of fixed objects

bestiary

Lichen as guides

Together, the title “Systems Listening: Lichen Unsung” suggests a project focused on paying attention to the interconnectedness of nature (through a systemic lens) and giving voice to the unnoticed, like lichen, that is essential yet uncelebrated. It could be especially fitting for a sound art installation, field recording project, or ecological exploration that seeks to amplify these subtle, often overlooked elements.

starting at tolworth court farm fields – a listening that listens for relations, the sounds they make, or do not make, and the way we navigate the inaudible aspects of our environments, a listening that begs for empathy, extended listening, to imagine what lies beyond, in order to increase our intimacy with the unknowable things, those that help constitute the world we live in

Systems Listening // Lichen Unsung

lichen – the unsung pioneers – those that persist, even in the gaps of our cities, in the wastelands, the liminal crevices of human society

Lichen—a symbiotic combination of mycelium and algae—that excels in extreme conditions, outperforms forests in CO2 sequestration, capturing a quarter of the Earth’s CO2 turning it into oxygen.Through only growing on 8% of earth’s surface it produces 50% of the nitrogen for organic life. Through the integration of this resilient and important organism we can create a symbiotic coexisting envelope system on urban structures. 

A porous structure would be conducive for lichen growth, thriving on various surfaces including metal, leather, and building exteriors. In polluted urban settings, an initial carbon aerated layer to protect lichen from direct pollution is recommended until they stabilize and positively affect air quality.

https://www.pratt.edu/work/lichenized-biosystems

“Lichen are fungi that have discovered agriculture” Trevor Goward a lichenologist. This is the best description for Lichen.

Lichen, existing in three types (Foliose, Crustose, Fruticose) and over 20,000 species, is among the planet’s oldest life forms, dating back over 440 million years. Found globally in diverse climates from cold to hot, lichen is easily accessible worldwide. Despite its ubiquity, lichen remains less understood and studied compared to moss, often appearing as a hybrid of tiny fungi due to its symbiotic nature, involving mycelium (fungi) and algae. It all just looks similar at first to the human eye until you look closer. 

The symbiosis of this system stems from the lichen’s structure itself, as it is composed of mycelium that can “lichenize” through capturing algae or cyanobacteria. Mycelium, the fungal component, provides shelter for the algae, traps water, and protects it from harmful UV rays. In return, the algae supplies the mycelium with the sugars it needs to survive, enabling it to thrive in diverse environments. Lichen’s ability to live without soil, withstand minimal water (going dormant if not enough), and adapt to varying humidity levels showcases its versatility. 

This symbiosis enables lichen to thrive in extreme environments, from Antarctica to deserts, even surviving in space, making it incredibly resilient especially with climate change. Remarkably, some Arctic lichen have been recorded as the world’s oldest living organisms at 8,600 years old, with the ability to photosynthesize in freezing conditions. It can even be used to date objects that have been around for a long time. 

NASA’s experiment, exposing lichen to space radiation and observing its survival, highlights its potential significance in understanding resilience to climate extremes and space exploration. That’s when I first realized this is an organism to be aware of. 

By embracing lichens, we foster symbiotic ecosystems that contribute to emission reduction and enhance urban structures with coexisting envelope systems. 

ecological stewardship.

Categories
Portfolio Y3

Lichen Project Brainstorming

Wondering how to tie in my lichen project to a coherent philosophy has left me feeling a little puzzled. I am writing this blog post to make sense of the various notes I have made throughout the year, in the hope that this will help me fill the remaining holes in my installation. I guess the best place to start is with the practicality of the idea itself.

  • The projected idea currently consists of a chopping block, with a schematic of lichen morphology painted around it. Within brown fungal strands (hyphae), there will be a series of circles representing the alga component of lichen. These circles will be painted with conductive paint and thus touch sensitive, activating sounds upon being pressed (I am still figuring out what exactly will be triggered).
  • On top of the chopping block there will be a mound of Oak Moss (Everna Prunastri) and Beard Lichen (Usnea) illuminated by a lamp. This will make the lichen centre stage, under a spotlight, to draw attention to it as the main attraction of the installation.
  • I intend to create a cyanotype booklet, with information on how to interact with the installation, as well as further writings and diagrams on the nature of lichen.

Given that lichen is the result of symbiogenesis, between a mycobiont (fungi) and a photobiont (algae, cyanobacteria, or both), and even sometimes bacteria and yeasts, the installation involves the act of interacting together to mimic this circumstance of co-evolution. The log will have two sides, and two separate touch sensitive algae buttons on it. When both are triggered I hope to create a distinct change in the soundscape that sounds symbiosis somehow. I am also still figuring out what is supposed to happen when each is triggered individually.

Secondly, lichen, being a largely overlooked, and misunderstood organism, inspired me to make them the centrepiece of this work. By placing them in the spotlight, I aim to stage a dramaturgical encounter through material composition, in which they are momentarily elevated to protagonism within the human experience.

Lastly, the booklet should contain various cyanotypes I have created, inspired by the works of Anna Atkins. These cyanotypes will encompass images of actual lichen, a more detailed picture of lichen morphology, short listening prompts similar to Emergence Magazine’s practice booklets, and instructions on how to interact with the installation.

“The world is a knot in motion.” – Donna Haraway, When Species Meet – For booklet ? quotes in booklet…

Philosophical themes include: extended empathy for lower life-forms – differences/ key points of affinity, symbiotic listening, bio-sociality, biological intentionality (consciousness in lower life-forms – why lower? – introduces hierarchy), systems thinking/ listening, listening in spite of the body (empathetic listening), the ecological self ) aware of its embeddedness within the relationships that constitute it, whether human or otherwise, empathetic resonance (dissertation), the very first relationship that enabled life on land – we are the living embodiment of something far more fundamental and ecological, emergent naturecultures.

Categories
Professional Futures Y3

Professional Futures – Showcasing Work

At the moment I do not have an online artistic presence. I have been drafting up a website using Squarespace, and have been experimenting with different artist bios. In the process of drafting up my website and CV I’ve been having trouble knowing what to include in each. I see the CV as more of an all encompassing document that advertises all of my skills for future employers. Therefore the artist statement I have written feels a little more generic that that of my website. On the other hand, I am tailoring my website to only include personal works and creative ventures, and so my artist bio is a lot more specific. I feel that this is what I will do for now, using the website as an extension of the CV – i.e. something employers can review when looking over my CV. Thus the CV will include all my work, while my website will be more of a journal of ventures and commissions relevant to my personal practice. It makes sense to have a dedicated space for this that keeps a common theme – especially if I am to pitch ideas to conservation groups such as Citizen Zoo.

This website will hopefully be a place where people, or communities can track my artistic development as I intend to dedicate a section of it to blogging. As well as this, social media will play an important part. I have never been great at sharing my creations, and experimentations, but I plan to create a dedicated instagram account in which I will upload iterations of work on a regular basis, giving employers easy access to evidence of my practice. While I am not the biggest fan of social media, I have come across residencies that require you to post a link to your instagram, or facebook page. As a result I am trying to change the way I view instagram, using it as more of a work archive for professional reasons. As there are not endless opportunities to work creatively with conservation groups, I assume I will need to be proactive about approaching them with ideas. This will require a strong conceptual basis to work from, as well as an ability to secure relevant funding. This would most likely be the case in regards to Citizen Zoo. I have also started thinking about a project involving meadows – an outdoor installation in Warren Farm in South London, owned by the National Trust.

In terms of website building Square-space seems fairly limiting, but given the time constraints of the hand-in I will have to use it. Past this deadline I will customise this further, possibly even hiring a website designer to assist me. But maybe this is something that I might do once I have more work in my portfolio. I also intend to upload my work to UAL’s online showcase. A friend of mine is the CEO of a charity called ALALA, that helps various communities in Africa install sustainable water wells, tanks, and dams in order to provide sanitised water sources. Earlier this year he worked on a project with the Maasai in Tanzania. During his time there he used a handheld recorder I’d lent him to take a bunch of field recordings. I intend to turn this into a soundscape composition that might be featured on ALALA’s website with permission from tribe members. If so, I would hope to reach a wider community of people through the charity’s outreach, to demonstrate the power soundscape composition can have to shed light on indigenous cultures and the problems they face in our increasingly modernised world.

Categories
Professional Futures Y3

Professional Futures – Relevant Opportunities

In the last lecture with Dawn we brainstormed what opportunities felt relevant to each of us. During this exercise I was able to synthesise all opportunities I had been exposed to into a single working document. They are as follows:

  1. Sound Design/ Composing/ Experimental Super 8 filming – for documentary film Travone Quarry – paid work from received funding, applied for by director,
  2. Internship at Institute for Post-Natural Studies (IPS) – inquire? – possibly developing mytho-poetic ecological workshops in future.
  3. Masters in Art & Ecology at Goldsmiths.
  4. Email Claire Singer about potential composition workshops 
  5. Reach out to members of Rewilding initiative Citizen Zoo to create a Sound map of Tolworth Court Farm Fields – Applying for funding to carry out (Arts Council?)
  6. Dyski x Zennor Sounds Residency
  7. Visual arts Summer Residency in South of France

I think the main challenge for me right now is knowing which ones to prioritise. I feel at a bit of a crossroads in terms of decision making due to varied interests. I have a desire to continue research and make sound works surrounding ecological matters, but I am not sure I am ready to dive straight into education again. I would need to also raise money to pay for any related tuition fees, that I don’t have at the moment. Despite this, I still feel that my artistic practice isn’t grounded or tangible enough yet. A Masters in Art & Ecology at Goldsmiths has stood out to me as an opportunity to make more sense of things.

Aside from this I would also like to develop my composition skills, and have even considered doing a post-graduate in music or music-related degree. Claire Singer, during our visit to Union Chapel, mentioned some potential composition workshops utilising the chapel’s organ which sounded interesting. I am yet to email her, but intend to once I have finished submitting my Major Project. The obvious thing to do is to bridge the gap between my creative practice and my growing interest in ecology, creating a cohesive bubble of work. I feel unsure of how to do this at such an early stage in my career however. I feel that any imminent decisions I make will characterise the kind of work I can pursue afterwards, whether it be academic, sound-based, or musical. Whatever 3 I choose to write about in the appraisal, there is one thing I am certain of – I will need to learn how to effectively divide my time up between multiple projects of varying natures.

Two artists whom I draw a lot of inspiration from is KMRU and Hildegard Westerkamp. Both use their compositional work as extensions of activistic and philosophical writing, and vice versa. Reading many of Westerkamp’s essays on her website has given me deep insight into her field recording philosophy and has changed the way I approach it. I find that her soundscape compositions become inseparable from her writing once experienced together.KMRU’s work on the other hand encompasses ambient composition, installation, video, and performing. Much of his compositional work is accompanied by activistic writing, with ecological and geo-political undertones. The way he has synthesised many different practices under one moniker is admirable, and inspiring. As an extension of both my major project and my dissertation this year, I have started creating a personal brand of theory in regards to soundscape composition – that which pertains to ecological ‘mytho-poetics’ and our imaginal modes of thinking. I am still early on in these ideas. Taking inspiration from both KMRU and Westerkamp I hope to publish both sound-works and essays that go hand-in-hand with one another. I plan on keeping an academic style blog, that I can include in my artist website.

(Beneath the Forest Floor (1992) for 2-channel audio by Hildegard Westerkamp, commissioned by CBC Radio for Two New Hours Radio premiere: May 17, 1992, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Toronto, Ontario, Canada – Length: 17:23) – This piece ,and its accompanying write up, stands as a good example of how I would like to frame my future compositions. It “is composed from sounds recorded in old-growth forests on British Columbia’s westcoast. It moves us through the visible forest, into its’ shadow world, its’ spirit; into that which effects our body, heart and mind when we experience forest.” – https://www.hildegardwesterkamp.ca/sound/comp/2/ForestFloor/

Categories
Professional Futures Y3

Steve Taylor – Business Basics for Sound Artists

Today’s lecture with Steve Taylor was very useful and shed some well needed light on areas regarding managing finances. It framed making a living as an artist through the lens of managing of business. As a working artist himself, Steve encouraged creating multiple revenue streams. Some suggestions he made that seemed relevant to my practice included: Synch Agencies/ Workshops/ Music/ Field Recordist/ Residencies/ Film Composition. I have released music through a small record label called Chillghost, and intend to continue to in the future. While not much, this generates a small amount of income, largely from Spotify streams. I have thought about self-releasing too via Bandcamp, or Boomkat, and even Spotify – now having become somewhat acquainted with the process. Access to essential play-listing contacts is where Chill-ghost comes in handy however. Teaching is another profession I have thought to do part time, either in violin, or perhaps music technology basics – having now drawn up and delivered a workshop to 50 children at the Pembroke Academy of Music, using launchpads and midi controllers. Over and above this, I will be applying to residencies that would allow me to continue my soundscape composition practice, and hope I might even generate some revenue from this too. Working as a freelance sound designer and composer will hopefully be another source.

We talked about the differences in approaching personal projects and working in service of others. I.e. Setting your own brief (personal creative practice) vs a brief given by creative industry. I have gotten into disagreements in the past, especially with film directors, when trying to assert my own creative aesthetic. Steve’s advice however reminds me that when working in service of other’s projects it is sometimes best to let them lead. But in the past this has resulted in strained compositions. I think such experiences have an impact on the quality of work I output. Working in a conventional studio setting then, much like those that offer creative music & sound design for broadcast, branding, game and film, seems a little daunting. I would much rather have the creative freedom to choose which projects to work on. Though I know this is a luxury that normally comes from having already been in the industry for a while, after gaining access to key gatekeepers, and enlarging your accessible network. I already have a good working relationship with a director, with whom I am due to work on a documentary. His approach to film-making is quite collaborative, and as a result I am given full freedom to materialise the audio in the way I see fit. This is an ideal opportunity, and hopefully might lead to more of a similar nature. Nevertheless, I do understand what more traditional sound roles entail, and have experience whereby the main objective is to bring about someone else’s precise vision. Ive gathered that presenting myself as a service will be important in order to continue my work as an artist.

Steve mentioned a term called ‘Value Proposition’: a clear statement that outlines the benefits one brings through services they offer, highlighting what makes them unique and appealing to a specific target market or audience. This would mean letting the client definition lead your proposition – If so, then a value proposition would be quite changeable dependent on the opportunity applied for, as I understand it. What problems can my practise/ expertise/ skill can solve for others? Ecological outfits seem like relevant bodies to write value-propositions for. Creating immersive, narrative experiences for such organisations is something I already have experience in. Using my skills attained as a composer, recordist, and sound designer I believe I can make activities and findings of conservation groups accessible to the wider public.

The most important thing I think that needs doing, post graduation, is setting myself up as a sole trader/ freelancer. Combining this with an artist website will allow me to start forging a more public/ online presence. According to Steve, this is as simple as registering with HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) as self-employed and completing a Self Assessment tax return. This involves choosing a business name, providing personal details to HMRC, and establishing a business bank account. ‘Thoughtsarelikebirds’ is a creative moniker I have been using for a while, and could be a name for a business, or collaborative studio that I set up in the future. Though this would be primarily be in regards to my own personal practise, rather than any commissioned sound design or composing gigs. For now perhaps I will then stick to using my name.

Another important part of this process is submitting an annual tax return. This would require learning to do bookkeeping and documenting financial records, but will save money from using an accountant. Therefore it will be important to keep a record of everything I spend money on that’s related to my business activities, and keep a list of all the expenses. As I have learnt today, this can be done using a spreadsheet or software like Quickbooks, Freshbooks or Xero to document income and expenses. I have also learnt that whenever you buy something business related you can deduct it from your annual profits – and this then reduces the amount of tax one pays. A useful thing to know in regards to work expenses. Submitting an annual tax return and paying your tax on government gateway is also an easy process: All you need to do is take the figure of your turnover (everything you earnt in the year) and stick it in the box in the form. Then take total expenses (everything you spent in the year) and stick it in the other box in the form. Nice and easy! Last top tip of the day provided by Steve was to get public liability insurance if working in a space that other people could be in. I’m not sure how this applies to my practise yet, but is certainly handy to know.

A Useful List of Work Related Expenses

  • Travel
  • Hotels 
  • Electricity bills 
  • Powered use of home 
  • Membership/ software subscriptions/ updates 
  • Professional development / Courses 
  • Therapy – business coaching 
  • Materials 
  • Workshop hire
  • Clothing 
  • Tickets for gigs – research
  • Fuel/ Petrol
  • Specialist input/ mentoring 
  • Expertise Help 
Categories
Professional Futures Y3

Industry visit: Claire M Singer at Union Chapel

A few days ago we visited organist, cellist, and composer Claire M Singer at her workplace, and venue, Union Chapel. It was a very insightful visit as it allowed us to gain direct insight into the life of a working, successful artist. Her work with the church’s organ, and her focus on its varying timbres, harmonic tones, overtones and textures as opposed to its pure function in traditional classical music, helped her garner enough attention through writing minimal style experimental albums and scores. Her mention of a performance with Chris Watson at her festival ‘Organ Reframed’ was super interesting, as it shed some light on techniques of I might be able to perform with field recordings – using multichannel diffusion. As well as this her experience with film composing was insightful too. As someone who has composed scores for a few short films, mainly using either orchestral plugins, and/ or recordings of myself iteratively a studio setting, it was helpful learning how much it costs to hire an orchestra such as the London Contemporary Orchestra. (A few 1000 pounds for 30mins to an 1hour!!). While a little expensive, she advised to apply for various funds that could cover these costs. Citing her experience, she told us of how she managed to secure £50,000 of funding, most of which she used to hire musicians and pay for film-related overheads and expenses. A period in her life she claims was more a creative investment than one of financial security. It is worthy to note that once such funding is attained, it is up to the artist to effectively portion it out – for e.g. knowing how much to pay oneself from a fund to cover living costs.

She struck me as someone consistently active in the arts, working as a musician, teacher and workshop facilitator before her recent success. One might say that her experience with union chapel’s organ was serendipitous, having acquired a part time job at the chapel at a time when the organ was not in use. But her dedication to the instrument and consistency is certainly what manifested her current recognition and accomplishments. I remember her recalling staying in the chapel to play the organ until 3am every night. Here we see an example of an artist with an evolving practice, who over time became more and more grounded in the ‘what’, ‘why’, ‘who’, when’ and ‘where’s of her practice. Something that she learned experientially.

Some other key takeaways from Claire included information on copyright law, i.e. PRS and MCPS. Acquiring membership to PRS would allow us to be paid royalties when our works are broadcast on TV or Radio, performed or played in public, and streamed or downloaded. MCPS on the other hand enables us to gain royalties when works are copied as physical products (i.e. CDs and DVDs), streamed or downloaded, or used in TV, film or radio. She also pointed us towards the funding body ‘Arts Council’ – after checking out their website I found their ‘Developing your Creative Practice’ fund, in which one can apply for up to £12,000. This is something I am considering to apply for help source new equipment, masterclasses, and mentors, in relation to my field recording and composition practice. Deadlines to apply are the 22nd May.

Categories
Professional Futures Y3

“Analysing Artists’ Continual Professional Development” Report – Key Takeaways

I’ve been reading “Analysing Artists’ Continual Professional Development (CPD) in Greater Manchester: towards an integrated approach for talent development” – A Report by Alison Slater, Amanda Ravetz and Kwong Lee, linked in Moodle, to get a better understanding of making a living as an artist. As part of the research undertaken in this report, participants were asked to chart their career progression as an artist on a graph – x axis representing ‘time in career’ and y axis measuring ‘amount of success’. The findings have shown that, for those involved, artist careers can “soar then plunge, they can plateau-out; tail off or be kick started” (Slater, Ravetz and Lee, 2013). There seems to be no ‘one glove fits all’ in terms of career progression and complicates the aid artists might need in grounding their practice in real opportunities. There is truth in this – in that progression in the arts looks different for different people, but there are steps one can take to increase their possibility of success.

The term ‘artist development’ is used throughout the report, and points to anything that assists artists in developing and establishing their career. With the plethora of funding bodies that award grants to artists in the early stages of their career, I feel like I am at no loss for opportunities – as long as I maintain a cohesive and consistent artistic practice as evidence of something to build on. ‘Continual Professional Development’ is a second term used in this report and points to the more long-term and formal aspects of continued progress. My problem with this is that progress, for me, does not always feel linear. Even this year I have branched out from composition to experimental videography, workshopping, and installation. I also intend to release music in the future. My interests are diverse and it sometimes feels hard to know exactly where I stand in any given moment. I realise this can come across as confusing to awarding bodies. While some of these mediums are employed to deliver a similar theme, my interests and creative compulsions are diverse and sometimes spontaneous. Holistically speaking, I feel like a lot of my work exists in the same bubble, as I naturally gravitate towards ecologically informed art. Yet, I worry that sometimes it might not seem that way to others. Learning to compartmentalise these different interests of mine is an ongoing process, but one that I feel will ultimately ensure greater success.

Diversifying income is an attractive way of making a living, though I realise it does not come without hard work and financial instability. Yet I feel this method would give me the most freedom to satisfy my divergent urges. The report states that “Some artists do not see their practice as a career at all; others see it as a secondary career that sits alongside a primary occupation that provides a more reliable income” (Slater, Ravetz and Lee, 2013). Differentiating between ‘career’ and ‘vocation’ is tricky sometimes. I aim to seek out opportunities that can allow for the two to overlap. Nevertheless, I also intend to set up as a sole trader/ freelancer, hoping this might open up opportunities to work more traditional sound roles on film sets, or even in studios, etc. This seems like a good way to prop up my creative practice, as any skills acquired from such jobs will be directly transferrable to any personal sound-work.

Artist participants were also asked by the report’s researchers to rate in order of importance various activities in relation to their creative and professional development. The most highly rated were mentoring (received from other artists with more experience) + Networking (both with other arts professionals/organisations/galleries, etc, and other artists). I have experienced this directly this year, having Mark Peter-Wright as my tutor. I am somewhat familiar with his work, and our tutorials have been great sources of inspiration and information to my soundscape composition and field recording practice. Having someone more experienced and established in their practice help make sense of my thoughts has helped me focus my creative efforts with more efficiency. Previously I have forged my own creative path, without seeking the help of others – and this has felt a little isolating. To continue seeking such mentorship outside of university I will reach out to other artists whom I admire, as well as stay in contact with certain lecturers. Attending a field recording trip to London Wetlands earlier this year, organised by Adam Stanovic, put me in contact with many other environmentally interested student sound artists with whom it has been a comfort to share ideas and compositions with. As well as this, remaining confident and open to networking with organisations is something I feel I am already doing, especially in regards to Citizen Zoo, as mentioned in the previous blog post.

Gatekeepers, according to the report, are also supposedly instrumental to the success of an artist. In the context of the art world I understand this term to refer to individuals or institutions that control access to resources and opportunities. Clearly then, networking with such figures is important. I feel however, as if this does not come so naturally to me, having a fairly creatively independent nature. As well as this, currying favour for favour’s sake is an unattractive notion to me. Without being naive, I do realise how far such relationships can go. I have tended in the past to take the approach – “if I do well enough the work will speak for itself!” – unfortunately I am learning this is not always the case – especially in a society overrun by burgeoning creatives. Consciously tapping into a more sociable nature will be important post graduation.

I have thought to create my own studio outfit, in order to continue my practice sustainably, and offer work to various other bodies. But it feels too early on in my newfound creative ventures to do so. I need more time to fully conceptualise the ‘what’, ‘why’, ‘when’, ‘how’, ‘where’ and ‘who’s’ of my career. I am somewhere along the line in answering all these questions, but I need more time for them to fully fruit. Reaching out to arts organisations for advice, mentoring, and residencies for the time being will be a priority.

Bibliography

Slater, A., Ravetz, A. and Lee, K., 2013. Analysing artists’ continual professional development (CPD) in Greater Manchester: Towards an integrated approach for talent development. Manchester: Castlefield Gallery Publications.

Categories
Professional Futures Y3

Professional Futures – Aspirations & Influences

Over the last two years my aspirations have taken a pretty sharp turn. Where once I primarily identified as a music producer, my interest in ecology and philosophy has led me towards an increasingly multidisciplinary creative practice. I guess I might say that the weight of creative solipsism became a little unbearable, and ultimately unfulfilling, at some point in my time on this course. Dreams I’d had for quite some time started to seem less a reflection of my inner values, but more some externalised projection of what I thought would bring me praise. A constant reminder to make the ego a lesser player in my endeavours, I believe, has allowed me to surrender somewhat to a mode of creativity that feels more in service to the world around me. Synthesising a thirst for knowledge of the ecological, with my desire to manifest a personal creative aesthetic seems to be the mission I am currently on.

I am still only at the beginning of something that I hope to potentially make a life-long vocation. The pressure to acquire a ‘job that pays the bills’ looms over me, and I realise the necessity in having to partake in the capitalist game. But ultimately fulfilment for me will never come from a pay check. I’ve discovered over the course of this year, that I have some pretty strong opinions in relation to ecological philosophy and psychology. Something I thought I’d never enjoy is writing. But, dare I say it, writing has been one of my most enjoyable components of this academic year!! And its become a practice that I am normally now able to meet without internal resistance, as opposed to the creative aspect that has been a little torturous!! I find I create best from a place of intuition and needing to intellectualise every creative decision has been the source of a lot of this year’s stress. Written ideas have come to me a lot more organically. Not only that, but they have allowed me to muddle through foggy thoughts, and gain clarity on long-held opinions that I have never been able to articulate. Many of my writing ventures inadvertently end up feeling like exercises in self discovery to some extent.

Without making this blog post some long, personal journal entry, I suppose I should provide some concrete examples of my influences and aspirations. After graduating (fingers crossed) I would like to pursue opportunities that allow me to combine both musical/ soundscape composition with ecological writing. Translating more-than-human aesthetics into accessible essay writing is something I have focused on a great deal this year academically, and any residencies, or commissions that allow me to further this would be especially satisfying. I have been volunteering with Citizen Zoo, a Re-wilding initiative, for the last 2 years, and the possibility of working together creatively has arisen in conversation quite a few times in the past. I have plans to reach out to them in the summer to create a sound-map of Tolworth Court Farm Fields, an area they have ecologically restored for quite some time now. I intend for this to be featured on their website, hopefully changing people’s conception of the area, and galvanise more of them to volunteer with Citizen Zoo. I quite like the idea of working with people – whether it be workshops, collaborative compositions, or interactive experiences – a stark contrast to my previous custom as a music producer and songwriter.

While composition is still my primary medium, field recording has also become central to my developing practice. An instrumental experience in guiding my aspirations was an internship held with the conservation team at Wadhurst Park last July – August. While here, I was given full freedom to roam around 800ish acres of ecologically restored land, field recording for hours on end every day. I was given access to accommodation, TIFF maps, and even a buggy, allowing me to engage with the land in a very intimate way. This culminated in a 40 minute soundscape, a written report, and a presentation to a panel of environmental experts in London. During my time here I cultivated a rigorous field recording practice that has benefited me to this day. I made strides during this internship in my knowledge regarding soundscape ecology. Spending so much time every day listening to katydids in meadows, birdsong, and may other aspects of the park’s biophony and geophony got me thinking a lot about noise pollution as well as animal phenomenologies. While it didn’t seem clear at the time, this experience has had a huge influence on both this year’s dissertation and creative projects.

I owe, in part, my success in securing this internship to my audio paper on animal communication and acoustemology the year before. While nothing mind-blowing, the synthesis of immersive sound, ecological philosophy and animal sound-making and perception really impressed the team at Wadhurst. This audio paper was the result of a year being immersed in the works of eco-philosopher Arne Naess, biologist and writer David George Haskell, author and researcher Karen Bakker, and composer and sound-ecologist Hildegard Westerkamp. This came at a time where I’d started making a conscious decision to distance myself from a very individualistic musical practice, and is a phase which I owe a lot of my current success to. In particular, Naess’ ‘The Ecology of Wisdom’ gave me much insight that has had a profound impact on my professional trajectory. This current year has seen me extend my research into the phenomenological discipline of both Maurice Merleau-Ponty and Edmund Husserl, as well as the theories of eco-philosopher David Abram, helping me contextually ground my practice in philosophy.

As well as field recording in an ecological context, the skills I have acquired from working on film sets as sound designer, location mixer, boom operator, and composer over the last few years have given me a strong starting point from which to seek other unrelated job opportunities that might ‘pay the bills’. A friend of mine has been working on a documentary about a quarry transformed into a ecological safe haven over the last few years. Having just secured a fair amount of funding for this, he has asked me to oversee the film’s sound design and composition. What’s been on my mind for quite a while now is how I can source income doing things that are, in some shape or form, aligned with my personal values. This gig is a close example of this.

I have considered post-graduate study to allow me to further develop the academic research I have undertaken this year, but I am not entirely sure what subject area will be best to do this in. As a result I have decided to postpone this for now.

Categories
Portfolio Y3

Composition Research Continued

The Corvidae family, that includes Crows, Ravens, Rooks, Jays and Magpies, as well as Jackdaws, have powers of abstraction, memory, and creativity that are some of the strongest among birds, even rivalling that of many mammals. Corvids are well known creatures that show up time and time again in various myths and folktales throughout history. For the Native Tsimshian peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast of North America, the Raven is a central figure in their creation myth, representing an intermediary between the physical and spiritual realms. In the Tsimshian genesis, when all lived in darkness, it was the Raven who spread light throughout the world. Disguised as a pine needle and consumed by the chief’s daughter, the Raven was reborn as her son. With its newfound innocence, the raven-turned-boy was able to beguile his grandfather into unlocking the closely guarded chests that held the sun, the moon, and the stars (Barbeau, Marias and Beynon, 1987, pp. 14–15). In the ancient syncretic philosophical Hindu text, the Yogavasistha, the Crow is an “immortal sage-like Crow who lives in a tree on Mount Meru where he witnesses the creation and dissolution of the universe, a succession of epochs in the earth’s history, and the birth and death of suns and moons, as described in Hindu cosmology” (Dangers, 2022). In such examples of Corvid mythology, these birds are imbued with a metamorphic divinity – as agents of cosmic transformation.

In more recent European history however, Corvids have become more associated with thievery and death, most likely due to their scavenging traits and their ability to “engage in mourning rituals when a member of their flock dies” (Dangers, 2022). In recent history a group of crows has even been referred to as a ‘murder’!! In Richard Harris Barham’s 19th century poem ‘The Jackaw of Rheims’ the Jackdaw is portrayed as a scavenging thief that takes off with the Cardinal’s precious ring. Upon returning it, the bird becomes a beacon of divine retribution, and a warning against the temptations of material possessions, human vanity and corruption.

If any one lied,–or if any one swore,–
Or slumber’d in pray’r-time and happen’d to snore,
That good Jackdaw
Would give a great “Caw!” (Barham, 1837)

In light of the absolved Jackdaw’s newfound piety, it is made a saint by the poem’s end and canonised by the name of Jim Crow. This coincides with the same period of time in which the term ‘Jim Crow’, popularised by Thomas Dartmouth Rice in his blackface performances, was being used as a collective racial epithet for black people. There is no direct evidence that shows an intentional link between Barham’s ‘Jim Crow’ and Rice’s character, but the resonance is an interesting one to consider. In both examples the character of ‘Jim Crow’ is an exaggerated representation of human stereotypes, on one hand a display of religious sanctity and human purity born against the supposed foolish and inherently villainous nature of the Jackdaw, and on the other a figurehead of white superiority used to rationalise and deepen African American inequality. Interestingly so, corvids have co-evolved along-side predators. Through this symbiotic relationship crows were able to aid ancient humans locate prey, in return gaining access to the remains of their food. Thus their cultural significance as scavengers today are built on thousands of years of co-evolution. Perhaps then, our applications of thievery to Jackdaw behaviour are a result of our detachment and disenchantment from the ecological world – the same world responsible for shaping us.

Mytho-poetic inquiry might help us challenge our civilisational myopia, and understand the more-than-humans outside of our anthropocentric preconceptions. Perhaps I’ve been trying too hard to intellectualise that initial encounter with those Nonsuch Jackdaws. When first experiencing their deafening chorus and sunset murmurations I felt an openness to the world around me, a feeling of presence I had not experienced in some time. In this numinous encounter I not only saw them or merely heard them, but rather entered into relationship with them, into another mode of being that surrendered to the ambiguity of the sensuous. Looking back I could say those Jackdaws became messengers, archetypes of the collective shadow, surpassing their biological identity by becoming mirrors of my own pysche. The deeper I experienced them, the more I let go, and through this undoing of perception, the more they revealed parts of me to myself. A mytho-poetic alchemy in which the outer world reflects the inner, and vice versa. This exchange of energy might be said to arise from the implicate order of the world: a deeper interconnected reality where everything is enfolded within everything else, as proposed by David Bohm (1989), contributor to theoretical physics, philosophy of mind, and neuropsychology. By embracing a larger narrative, fueled by a tacit awareness of the implicate order, the jackdaws became drenched in personal meaning. Bohm describes this ‘active meaning making’ as an “explication of a more inconspicuous form of meaning that is called into consciousness through its relationship to the implicate order” (Ruebsaat, 2013). In allowing the Jackdaws to become key players in our conception of self, a portal opens to the unconscious. Entering into this relationship then is an act of archetypal activism; a reclamation of one’s agency that emerges through some qualitative resonance with the ‘other’. Thus, we might say the self, and the dynamic process of ‘becoming’, in the Deleuzian sense, are unified within the implicate order, and expressed, or individuated in the explicate. This is the essence of embodiment.

Reflection is the true seeing; the root of seeing through, when one can apprehend the archetypal being revealed in an event or story. One can then hear the archetypal image voicing beneath the myth as it sings and flickers through for one to engage actively (Ruebsaat, 2013).

Mythopoetics provides the spinal cord along which all my ideas have found their natural alignment. It is the exploration of jackdaw as archetype, catalysed by my experience of them, that prompts the ‘naked ear’, able to listen in spite of one’s preconceptions, and in doing so, reflects ourselves back to ourselves – as a result there arises a deepening and unveiling of the self. Much like meditation, where we give ourselves permission to let thoughts and emotions pass through us without judgement, I propose that any ‘more-than-human’ encounter offers that same space of openness and receptivity that enables one to integrate different aspects of their psyche. And yet, even as I recreate their mythology, Jackdaws remain as agents of transformation.

A marriage of depth pyschology, phenomenology, deleuzian ‘becomings’ and mythopoetic inquiry – but what does this look, or sound like as a creative composition? The visuals are already well underway and offers a visceral collage of the liminal layers of perception. Phenomenologically speaking, I hope to represent the source of our subconscious preconceptions through this. Using fast paced imagery, the visual element will aim to entrance the watcher in a dreamlike state, within which the subconscious recalls, and speaks to us through, the obscurity of experience. This will act as the backdrop to the soundscape composition. But how do I translate the Jackdaw-as-archetype – as agents of transformation – into a musical and sonic context? In order to adhere to both ‘ecological consciousness’ and psychological transformation I will utilise both raw field recordings, manipulated field recordings, and composed music. Instead of creating an entire world of sound, drawing from endless libraries of samples, I will instead set myself the challenge of only using my own field recordings. This include jackdaws, the dawn and dusk chorus, water as a symbol of fluidity (much like Deleuze and Guattari’s idea on becoming), and the church bells of Nonsuch Park. I will start the piece with these bells, tolling predictably, to represent the hourly march of time, of control. This is echoed in Schafer’s denotation of the bell as an anthropocentric signal delineating the boundaries of a town or city. This could work well over static, geometric city-like imagery to further invoke the feeling or order, separation, or the known world. The seven bells will also signify the start of sunset, in which the encounter begins, as the jackdaws murmurate before settling to roost. From here I will introduce the sound of the jackdaws slowly, accompanied by a string ensemble. As the encounter grows I might use violins to replicate, and even replace the voices of the jackdaws, to signify growing enchantment – as the chatterings grow more and more cacophonous, I will switch in and out of violin-as-jackdaw and actual jackdaw sounds, even overlapping the two, to tread the line of both phenomenological experience and reciprocal becoming; as stringed instruments and jackdaws become indistinguishable there should be a culmination of transformative resonance, where jackdaw and self are no longer separate. As murmurations begin, the score will grow in depth. To sustain the continuous process of seeing/ hearing past the fog of preconception, an ongoing tension of continuous becoming will be delivered by the continued manipulation of jackdaw voices, drifting in and out of mythic engagement, phenomenological reality, and projected distortions. Time might slow down in places (bird against bird?) – a warping of time when encountering a perceived divinity, of self, or other. Bowed textures could mimic both air currents, murmurations, in the spirit of Jon Hassell (particularly his use of the trumpet to recreate the feel of a ‘Rising Thermal’ in his album Fourth World Vol 1 Possible Musics). I might also explore other extended techniques such as sul pont, harmonics, or scratch tones. I’ve even thought of using Jackdaw voices as mediators of resonator controls representing an implicate order – creating an organic ever-evolving ambience. I’ve thought to use my own voice too, perhaps whispers, audible, yet just out of reach, as if something is being communicated but it is impossible to tell what. This is all only meant as a loose structure for what I might call an audiovisual poem. The aim is to make audible the process of deconstructing anthropocentric listening, revealing not only the jackdaws, but our inner-workings through them. An entangled listening as a form of spiritual and psychological alignment.

We often don’t have the language, or indeed the mental syntax, for the intuited unknown and so we’re obliged to reach into and employ the poetic mind. This mind enables us better to explore nascent truths that aren’t yet tangibly manifested (Ruebsaat, 2013).

Bibliography

Barbeau, M. Marias and Beynon, W., 1987. Tsimshian narratives: Volume 1: Tricksters, shamans, and heroes. J.J. Cove and G.F. MacDonald (eds.). Ottawa: University of Ottawa Press.

Barham, R.H. 1837. The Jackdaw of Rheims. Family Stories, Bentley’s Miscellany, IV. London: R. Bentley. AP 4 B38, Robarts Library.

Bohm, D. 1989. Meaning and information. In: P. Pylkkänen, ed. The search for meaning: the new spirit in science and philosophy. Toronto: HarperCollins Canada.

Buxton, N. 2006. The crow and the coconut: Accident, coincidence, and causation in the Yogavāsiṣṭha. Philosophy East and West, 56(3), pp.392–408

Dangers, D. 2022. Crow & Crone: Twin archetypes. Feathers and Folktales. 7 September. Available at: https://feathersandfolktales.com/diemdangersblogposts/crow-and-crone-twin-archetypes [Accessed 15 Apr. 2025].

Ruebsaat, S. 2013. What does a mythopoetic inquiry look like? SFU Educational Review, 6. Available at: https://doi.org/10.21810/sfuer.v6i.372

Categories
Portfolio

Composition Research

Ive been making my way through Westerkamp’s essays on her website. Her ideas on soundscape composition are largely concerned with the sonic consequences of a place and its political, geographical, economical and ecological histories, as evidenced in her comparison of Brasilian and Indian soundscapes in her essay ‘Soundscapes of Cities’. In another one called ‘Speaking from Inside the Soundscape’, she expands on her idea of soundscape composition as an extension of Acoustic Ecology. To be inside the soundscape is to be aware of oneself as a component of it, rather than separate from it – i.e perceiver vs perceived. This, for her, becomes synonymous with the cultivation of an ecological consciousness. The recordist/ composer’s endeavour to increase the audience’s ecological consciousness through composed soundscape becomes increasingly important. Westerkamp places utmost importance on the indiscriminatory stance of the ‘microphone’, much like the nakedness and openess of the newborn ear, before lived experience makes it selective. Yet her methodology of prompting this openness, while aurally embodied, is largely concerned with the idea of literality – something I feel is not always necessary in order to successfully create a composition that is classed as activistic. Bridging different places of experience and inducing some resonance with the natural world, I believe, can be achieved through the imaginal mode. There comes a point where I become unsure of the lines I’m treading in terms of agency and ownership, especially in regards to those more than human voices that are central to this conversation. Navigating this entangled blur from the standpoint of purity is quite impossible, and perhaps where I’ve been going wrong. Instead of trying to adhere to every opinion I should instead let each inform my own instincts. I think the particular boundary I am referring to – that threshold in which ecological consciousness truly becomes a product of composition – is challenged best in this excerpt by Westerkamp:

Environmental sound is a type of language, a text. As well, the technology through which we transmit the sounds, has its own language, its own process. If we truly want to reveal meanings through recorded environmental sound and truly draw the listener inside these meanings, then we must transmit precise information and knowledge and demystify technologically hidden processes. When we have done something simple as condensing the duration of a dawn chorus in order to fit it into a pre-determined time frame on a CD, let’s say that and how we have done it. Let’s name the voices of the place, let’s mention the weather for example or the season, the landscape, the social and natural context. Or let us at least be clear about the inherent confusion about time and place when we work with environmental sound.

Thinking on my work so far, I wonder how much precise information to transmit. Most of what I have recorded so far is that of jackdaws, as well as the inevitable occurence of other sounds such as aircraft, traffic, other birdsong, and people. Each recording in of itself could be a composition that prompts a discussion into the inherent interconnectivity of the environment in relation to the jackdaws, and even myself as recordist. This seems to me like the ecological consciousness westerkamp proposes. Given that the nature of my work is concerned mainly with animism however, the imagination becomes integral to bridging the gap between the psychological and the physical. I get the sense that refashioning the sonic material to tell a sort of sonic fiction can still maintain an awareness of their provenance and relevance in an ecological context. Im reminded of Hector’s lecture on Sonic Fiction. Though I haven’t followed up much on this idea in terms of research, I remember him saying that this concept might be be viewed as a resistance to the banality and repressiveness of modernity. The imagination then becomes a powerful tool that challenges the status quo – in creating more reciprocal futures, and giving agency back to the individual. As long as this agency is concerned with honouring and amplifying the voices of the natural world, then this to me seems both ecologically conscious, as well as imaginatively empowering.

Something interesting that just occurred to me is the power of creative soundscape composition to change how the listener interacts with their soundscape. Someone recently told me that, after listening to an environmental soundscape recreation I had made, they become more aware of the birdsong around them, hearing their song with a renewed intensity. Though this soundscape was an inaccurate, somewhat exaggerated recreation of the actual habitats recorded, its ability to affect her in this way still remained.

Hildegard Westerkamp herself says:

Ideally, if we have managed to strike a chord in our listeners, the listening experience will re-emerge as valuable memory and information at a later point, or it will encourage listeners to visit, hear and experience first hand the original place or situation of which the work speaks…
Then we have come full circle. The work has created the naked, open ear in the listener, a curious ear that has moved him or her into action, into interaction with the soundscape…
But the “naked ear” of the microphone can achieve a wakefulness in our listening that has a direct influence on how we speak with environmental sounds through our compositions and productions. A new balance between recording/listening and composing/soundmaking can be achieved.

If her concept of the ‘naked ear’ is meant to foster an openness to sound in its rawness, allowing the listener to connect with the soundscape without the usual layers of interpretation or selective hearing, does this allow for the manipulation of audio for aesthetic reasons, or the inclusion of musical interpretation? In her work ‘Beneath the Forest Floor’ all of the sounds used, though manipulated, were recorded in the old-growth forests on British Columbia’s westcoast, moving the listener through visible forest, “into its’ shadow world, its’ spirit; into that which effects our body, heart and mind when we experience forest.” A beautifully rhythmic piece that does what it sets out to. Elements of musicality do appear however, and her dedication to using only field recordings as creative material appears to me as nothing more than a compositional challenge, though I’m sure she would argue differently. If she had actually used instruments to achieve the results given, and falsely claimed them as manipulated versions of original recordings, no-one would be none the wiser. What is most important in my opinion, is that the musical element successfully props up the rest of the composition in an appropriate way. Maybe I am simply trying to find an excuse to exercise my ability as a musician, but I do feel that the actual intention to move someone, is far more important than achieving the kind of restrictive purity in westerkamp’s compositions. Perhaps it is just a matter of personal values.

Some of the challenges I am faced with is that my work does not intend to be completely site specific, like Beneath the Forest Floor. The sounds of Nonsuch Park, and its jackdaws, are meant more as catalysts for a wider conversation into the emotional undercurrents of perception. In my improvisatory filmmaking I have captured everything from shadows to eyes, reflections of light, fluid movement, windows, shapes and textures of the city, and a whole host of other liminal, ‘in between’ moments that affect our perception of the world around us. These seemingly invisible forms clothe the ear. I think these moving images will underlay the sound of the jackdaws, without needing to be sounded themselves. (The opposite of schizophonic? Seen but not heard?). This hopefully will induce an awareness of the source of our preconceptions, in visceral form – those that colour our encounters with the more than human world. Still, I need to figure out how this all leads to a mutual transformation. Too many ideas maybe!

Regarding the actual composition, I have thought about only using the jackdaw recordings as material, as well as the church bells of nonsuch that ring every hour and have become an integral part of my sonic experience of the park. But I don’t know how to introduce enough variation into the piece. The whole piece should describe the encounter with the jackdaws, as a sort of epiphany in which one no longer hears them in relation to external preconceptions, but rather as a deeper exploration of self. By engaging with the nakedness of Westerkamp’s ear, one should feel more able to ask what it is that is truly going on internally when experiencing such visceral more than human encounters. Maybe its about changing the traditional symbolism of corvids as representing death and thievery as an element of mutual transformation. In overcoming these stories passed down, we allow ourselves to interact with these creatures as not an extension of human projection, but subjectivities in their own right. Ironically, despite their historical associations they are one of the most populous groups of birds, thriving in number unlike other more endangered birds. Still, through this ‘mytho-poetics’, we equip ourselves with the ability to alter other stories we have told that might have negative consequences on the welfare of our environment… potentially?