"Under threat" (2023)
Sound work.
Acoustic Representation of Resource Exploitation and Indigenous Resistance.
This soundscape composition aims to critically examine and sonically represent the significant threats posed by the exploration and exploitation of natural resources, specifically oil and gas, in regions characterized by high biodiversity and the presence of indigenous communities. The chosen sound sample, seismic shooting (airgun exploration for oil and gas), is central to this narrative.
Initially, research focused on the resistance of Greenlandic Inuit communities to extractive activities near the sound sample's origin. These communities vociferously oppose such resource extraction, viewing it as a direct threat to their traditional way of life, which is intrinsically linked to their ancestral environment. Upon reviewing the assigned sound recording, its acoustic qualities, particularly the seismic airgun blasts, immediately evoked associations with either a severe meteorological event or the deployment of heavy artillery. While open to both interpretations, within this composition, the sound functions as an antagonist, signifying a disruptive force that encroaches upon the harmonious coexistence between the communities and their marine environment. Furthermore, the persistent presence of drone sounds intensifies this sense of impending threat and uncertainty. The composition also incorporates the sounds of sensors and subtle beeps, intended to symbolize the dehumanizing aspects of hypercapitalism, which is posited as the fundamental cause of this ecological and social predicament. To further convey a sense of alienation and profound change, personal recordings of the sea were processed with a glitch filter.
The encroaching danger is acoustically conveyed through its proximity to and encirclement of the indigenous communities. These communities are represented by an improvised recording of a local Greenlandic radio broadcast, sourced from a location proximate to the assigned sound sample's coordinates. In the face of these multifarious threats, the quotidian discourse of the local radio voices serves as an acoustic metaphor for rationality and integrity, contrasting sharply with the barbarism and avarice of extractive industries.
This work is an integral component of the "Polar Sounds" project, a collaborative initiative involving Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB), and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). The sound clips selected for this project were recorded by hydrophones situated in Arctic and Antarctic waters, encompassing a diverse array of biotic, geophonic, and anthropogenic sounds.