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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