How does sound help us chart the health of the environment?
Researchers from around the world will explore this question at “Perspectives on Listening”, an international symposium hosted by the Queensland Conservatorium Research Centre and Biosphere Soundscapes next month.
The three-day symposium featureslive performances, immersive installations, sound walks and field trips across the rainforests of the Sunshine Coast and aquatic ecosystems in Noosa Biosphere Reserve.
The project is part of an exciting portfolio of collaborations across the creative arts and environmental sciences at Griffith University that are investigating the creative and scientific possibilities of acoustic ecology. This has involved environmental field recording, biodiversity monitoring and creative projects that span four continents.
Symposium keynote speaker Steven Feld is a leading American ethnomusicologist, anthropologist, and linguist who will present the 25th anniversary edition of ‘Voices of the Rainforest’ — a composition that captures a day in the life of the Bosavi rainforest and Kaluli people in Papua New Guinea.
Dr Monica Gagliano from the University of Western Australia will speak about plant bioacoustics — a new field she has pioneered by demonstrating that plants emit their own ‘voices’ as well as detect and respond to the sounds surrounding them.
The creative program includes an immersive listening room and the Queensland premiere of Dr Leah Barclay’s new spatial sound installation “Migration Patterns: Saltwater” which features marine hydrophone recordings from the Great Sandy Biosphere Reserve.
Registrations are open for “Perspectives on Listening”, which will be held from December 7-9 at Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University.