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Editorial
Katharine Norman

Organised Sound / Volume 17 / Special Issue 03 / December 2012, pp 191 ­ 192

DOI: 10.1017/S1355771811000574, Published online: 11 January 2012

Link to this article: http://journals.cambridge.org/abstract_S1355771811000574

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Katharine Norman (2012). Editorial. Organised Sound, 17, pp 191­192 doi:10.1017/S1355771811000574

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EDITORIAL

First published online 11 January 2012

Sound, Listening and Place II completes two issues The first two papers in this half of the collection
of the journal devoted to this theme. The response to provide contrasting, if not opposing, viewpoints on
the original call for papers was extraordinary, and the prevailing thinking on ‘soundscape’ composition and
quality of the contributions such that a double issue other approaches well established in electroacoustic
was warranted – separated by an interval of one year, work. Barry Truax, as a member of the original
due to practical exigencies. The first issue, Sound, World Soundscape Project research group based at
Listening and Place I (16/3) was published in December Simon Fraser University, reaffirms the case for
2011, and the papers in this issue were published online soundscape studies and for his own extension of that
at that time, so that readers could encounter the whole work within a communications context. Partly in the
collection simultaneously. Now the hard copy publica- nature of a review article, he provides a very useful
tion of the second issue provides the reader also with survey of repertoire and discusses his own more
higher quality sonic materials on the DVD. Decisions recent work. Robin Parmar, on the other hand,
on the distribution of the papers between the two parallels Timothy Morton’s critique of ecocriticism in
issues was undertaken solely with regard to finding a literary work (outlined in the original call for this
well-balanced and varied group for each issue. issue) in his own critique of both Schafer and
Since a full-length editorial was provided as part of Schaeffer’s continuing dominance in electroacoustic
Sound, Listening and Place I, what follows is a music. For Parmar, ‘pure phenomenology’ is insuf-
summarised version, and an overview of those papers ficient rationale for an aesthetic, while the idealistic
that appear here. Contributors responded to a call return to the ‘hi-fi’ soundscape that Schafer evoked in
that asked various questions of electroacoustic and his early writings is now similarly unrealistic – and
sound-based music in relation to the environment, not necessarily desirable. His impassioned contribu-
and in particular with respect to listening and a sense tion joins other theorizing that draws on a variety of
of ‘place’ – however the author wished to interpret alternative voices, from Artaud’s body without
this. Among the questions posed were: How can, or organs, to Deleuzian rhizomatic processes.
does, electroacoustic and sound-based music ‘rethink’ With an account of the development and back-
environmental aesthetics? Can sound-based music, ground to her sound installation For the Birds. Ruth
and writing on it, nourish ecocritical debates? What is Hawkins contributes a close and personal con-
sonic ecology in art? Contributors were also encour- sideration of listening relationships with different
aged to consider the aesthetic and ethical issues posed kinds of sounds – ambient, background noises and
when field recordings are resituated, transformed recordings, as well as live bird song, which plays a
or otherwise used to reframe ‘nature’ as art. They contingent part in the work. Essentially an analysis of
were also invited to respond to, critique or otherwise listening, in a place defined by listening, the paper is a
engage with existing philosophy on sound and welcome example of theorizing from practice-based
environment familiar to composers working in the research. Similarly, Chaves and Rebelo theorise a
domain – such as acoustic ecology and ‘soundscape’ vocabulary of listening, one that takes account not
studies – as well as to explore the relevance of only of the social and cultural context of sound but
additional, multidisciplinary, approaches to thinking also contemporary cultures of mobile and networked
about listening in place. The diverse, often highly technology, and environmental philosophies. Also
imaginative and innovative, contributions that proceeding from installation work, their focus is on
arrived were notable for approaching sound, listening participatory public art in urban or gallery situations,
and place from a variety of angles, and yet were as well as broadcast and networked pieces. The latter
remarkable consistent in the range of sub-themes present the physical ‘place’ of performance as geo-
that emerged. As in the first issue of this collection, graphically fractured, to be reassembled in the new
the papers share such interests as recording ethics, place of broadcast transmission.
social and community concerns, memory, nature and Budhaditya Chattopadhyay also examines the
sustainability – and, of course, listening. artistic mediation of the sound environment, and how
Organised Sound 17(3): 191–192 & Cambridge University Press, 2012. doi:10.1017/S1355771811000574
192 Katharine Norman

broadcasts, as well as recording and re-presenting field fruitful strategies for thinking about sound, listening
recordings of environment, can ‘re-place’ place. Through and place in music, and about music in different
an historical and autobiographical lens, he explores the contexts. Chris Bocast’s paper is perhaps the widest
ways in which location-specific sound recording trans- historical survey in the whole collection, considering
forms environmental actuality through its relocation the ‘place’ of music in Western eco-cosmology
into ‘audio art’ or electroacoustic composition. Charting through examining the general relationship of music
his personal memories of sound and environment in a to the environment, and music’s history of associa-
rural community, his views invert charges of ‘sonic tions with environmentalism. He revisits and explores
tourism’ that some might apply to art made from field suggestions on the genesis of language, and of artistic
recordings of distant locations. For Chattopadhyay, behaviour, and Levitin’s argument for the evolution
growing up in a fairly remote part of rural India, it was of music in order to promote cognitive development.
BBC radio, broadcasting Western music, that brought Within this ambitious scope, Bocast calls on his
an exotic, distant allure. Noting that ecosystems and research to make the case for music as a ‘living
biospheres are merging, his conclusion that ‘I would not inheritance’ that can encourage cross-cultural and
be surprised if I find my tribal counterpart from my ecological understanding, especially in the context
early childhood in Tumbani in a metropolis with a of the environmental debate. His reflections of course
laptop on the shoulder/tablet in his pocket’ provides have great relevance for music made from doc-
a telling reminder of how rapidly our experiential umentary sources. Randolph Jordan takes a different
landscapes – and the listening that travels with them – tack, and provides an innovative analysis of ‘reflect-
have changed. We are constantly re-tuning our world. ive audioviewing’ in the audiovisual milieu of film
And by now it is quite apparent that the artistic reception. He does so in the context of an analysis of
forms in which listening is entangled are broadening Gus Van Sant’s film Elephant. This film, unusual in
and cross-fertilising, and that, increasingly it seems, its sensitive use of electroacoustic music, makes use of
artists come to a heightened appreciation of organised several works by Hildegard Westerkamp, and also by
sound through frames that are different from those another composer featured in this double issue,
provided by electroacoustic and sound-based music. Frances White.
Though it remains relatively unusual for a composer My own contribution to his collection discusses
or sound artist to be ‘raised’ simultaneously in the three works made from rainforest recordings – by
experimental music world and installation art, and Feld, Monacchi and López – in the context of
even more unusual that the person concerned would environmental ‘connectedness’. I consider listening,
have environmentalism at the core of their being, John sound and place within the phenomenological study
Luther Adams is just such an individual. In some of place and ‘place making’ activity, in particular as
respects he provides a contemporary foil to Schafer. It articulated by philosopher Edward S. Casey.
is therefore fitting that his work be represented here, As for Sound, Listening and Place I, I would like
through Tyler Kinnear’s examination of The Place to reiterate my gratitude to Leigh Landy and to
Where You Go to Listen, an installation formed from a Cambridge University Press, for welcoming two issues
sonification of environmental data. Kinnear provides on this theme. I would also like to thank all the
a clear description and astute analysis of the many reviewers, whose contribution is so essential, and all
facets of this work’s construction and intent – a those who submitted papers. Reading them all was a
work that Adams regards as music, albeit music with fascinating, enjoyable – and humbling – experience.
‘no beginning, middle or end’ that is ‘not complete
until you are present and listening’. Katharine Norman
The two contributions that follow survey the [email protected]
general and specific respectively, and both theorise