Now that we have taken some time to better define and contemplate the idea of sonic art, let us more closely examine an area within sonic art that is fundamental; the soundscape.

Defining Soundscape

A soundscape is the time-based relationship of sonic events that a person experiences from a particular location. Obviously, this is a derivative of the idea of landscape, which is the visible features of an area, its forms, and how these features integrate together. Likewise, a soundscape is the sonic features (or events) of an area, their forms, and how these events integrate together.

Like a landscape, a soundscape is a subjective phenomenon, experienced from a singular vantage point (note: this does not need be a fixed point). The relationship of events or features is dictated in part by the vantage point and the relationship (in space or time) to this singular point. As an example, if you view a landscape that includes a valley; a vantage point from the floor of the valley will offer different relationships to features than if it is viewed from an elevated position where one looks down into the valley. Similarly, the soundscape of these same locations will create different relationships between sonic events if listened to (experienced) from the same relative positions.

Soundscape art recognizes that there can be significance in capturing, creating, or reproducing the sounds of specific locations.

As a participant or listener, a soundscape is a time-based event, in which you listen to (as opposed to simply hear) the sonic events occurring around you, in relationship to yourself, each other, and the place. A soundscape is any location where you are. It is made up of the sonic events you are subjected to and choose to listen to. Therefore, a soundscape can be a natural setting, such as a location in the middle of a forest somewhere in the mountains. A soundscape can also be the sonic events of your bedroom, a racetrack, the middle of a city, inside the lobby of a corporate building, up in a hot air balloon, or underwater. Soundscapes are not defined by natural settings nor anthropocentric settings. Instead, they are defined by someone giving them the energy and attention to listen to events in space against time.

R. Murray Schafer

R. Murray Schafer is a Canadian composer, who is best known for his work defining, promoting, protecting, and raising awareness of soundscapes. Please, put on your good headphones, and watch the following documentary where he discusses the idea of a soundscape and listening.

• If you want more info about this video, please visit: www.nfb.ca/film/listen/

Schafer is also credited with creating The World Soundscape Project, which aims to capture, with the goal of preserving, the soundscapes of our world.

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Acoustic Ecology

Soundscape as an area accounts for both a creative practice as well as a research area. Acoustic Ecology is typically the way that the research of soundscape is referred to. Acoustic Ecology research can include the;

• capture of soundscapes for historical preservation purposes
  • As humans continue to expand our footprint in this world, we fundamentally change the way places sound, with machinery, human activity and presence, as well as through human interventions such as logging or road development. It is important to capture and catalog places so that they can be understood later.
  • At the same time, human-centric soundscapes, like cities, continue to change as our society evolves and the types of technologies we employ advance. It is important to capture and catalog cities so that we can understand how their sound qualities change over time, both when they may get louder, as well as when they may get quieter, due to quieter engines, more efficient air conditioners, architecture that absorbs sound instead of reflecting it, etc.
• analysis of how a location’s soundscapes change
  • The citygram and SONYC initiatives at NYU are interested in capturing constant soundscape data from numerous locations around NYC, so they can identify noise pollution, how it changes over a day, week, or year, and it’s effects on the well-being of the citizens of the city.
• analysis of how sound in specific locations affects the actual ecosystem, or how sound in specific locations affect humans.
  • As one example, Bernie Krause, aims to capture and analyze soundscapes prior to and after significant events, such as logging operations, to understand how biodiversity of sounds can change.
  • Likewise, the above SONYC and citygram initiatives aim to understand how sound changes in locations like NYC over short periods of time (i.e. day to day), as well as larger time periods (i.e. between seasons or years).
• acoustic ecology research can also include investigation into automatic identification of sound sources by machines/computers (Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning assisted identification)
• acoustic ecology research can also include inquiry into the synthetic creation of soundscapes

As Art

As an art form, soundscape aims to capture sounds of locations and present the emergent qualities of those locations to listeners, often isolated from the location.

These soundscapes may include a single location, or may mix locations, either on top of each other in time or sequentially in time.

Soundscapes may also include “musical” interventions, such as having musicians respond to the soundscape through musical performance.