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Re: New Soundscapes & realism

Subject: Re: New Soundscapes & realism
From: "Robin" escalation746
Date: Fri Jan 13, 2012 7:45 am ((PST))
This is indeed a most excellent discussion!

John Hartog wrote:

> I believe the natural rhythms and voices in a
> recording, aside from anthropogenic, can promote
> consciousnesses in appreciation for natural
> ecosystems better than a recording with
> anthropogenic sounds included.

I am not sure even that is true. An awareness of how the biotic and abiotic=
, human-centred and non-human-centred sounds interact might instead be more=
 informative. I have engaged in this issue in some of my compositions. And =
I believe the recording that kick-started this discussion could be consider=
ed an example of this in practice.

I have issues on a philosophical basis with drawing lines in the sand, sinc=
e I for one believe the wind should always blow. However, in case any shoul=
d read me as being too confrontational, I will make it clear that I do not =
have any objection to the conservationist project *in practice*, since it i=
s a necessary corrective to the dominant hegemony of "growth" and globalisa=
tion.

freitojos wrote:

> For 2000 years all the species where respected
> and protected even when hunted and the man was
> sharing is production with the other species.

I would be very careful ascribing Utopian attributes to tribal and other pr=
evious (so-called "indigenous") cultures. In point of fact,  these were res=
ponsible for some of the largest species extinctions on the planet. And the=
 cultures often lived in a constant state of hostility and warfare with bot=
h each other and their environments. The Western European valorisation of s=
uch societies is part of the myth of Nature, Eden, Paradise, etc. There was=
 no pure, unspoilt state from which we came.

Eric Leonardson wrote:

> I seem to recall Steven Feld told us, in 1993, a
> nature environments record label would have
> released his field recordings from the rain
> forests of Papua New Giunea, only if it hadn't
> been "ruined" by the sounds of the indigenous
> Bosavi people.

An interesting test case! For if we wish to exclude all sounds made by Homo=
 sapiens from "nature recordings", the label was correct in their criticism=
. If, however, we wish to include the Bosavi inside the perimeter of "natur=
e", then we engage in racism pure and simple, since we are applying differe=
nt criteria of acceptance to their culture and ours.

The "third way" would be for us to establish aesthetic criteria that could =
be applied regardless of the source of the sound. I wonder if any nature re=
cording labels, soundscape artists, and so on have attempted this?

Dug Winningham wrote:

> i am sure most of us have seen/heard this attenborough clip, i am curious=
 what category this bird's anthropogenic vocal recording would fall into?
>
> http://www.metacafe.com/watch/520900/amazing_lyre_bird_mimics_everything/

Dug, that bird makes lyres of us all.

-- robinparmar.com







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