Episode 1: Clearing

I have an interest in how we, as a species, use sound, and

especially what is usually referred to as ‘nature’ sound. We

listen and think we are hearing nature but in fact we are often

only hearing what we want it to be. Here for example we listen to

dew drying on scrub grass, wind resonating an enclosure fence, an

evening chorus of frogs and the embers of a hedge clearing

bonfire. All are ‘natural’ sounds but all are counter to the

prevailing idea of nature based soundscapes in some sense. Often,

for example, a conventional idea of technical audio clarity is

used to pacify certain elements, to contain and control the

audible view of environments, or to remove sounds that a recordist

might decide are unhelpful to the idea of ‘nature’, such as plane

or traffic noise.

Listening is more than hearing. It’s about letting sounds in and

that requires a letting go of control, and a recognition (for

artist, recordist, audience) of the intuitive response being a

natural part of our species.

nb. headphone listening or via audio speakers is recommended as

some of the frequencies are inaudible via computer speakers