Title Ecology and Environmentalism in Contemporary Sound Art Type The sis URL https://ualresearchonline.arts.ac.uk/id/eprint/13705/ Dat e 2 0 1 8 Citation Gilmurray, Jonathan (2018) Ecology and Environmentalism in Contemporary Sound Art. PhD thesis, University of the Arts London. Cr e a to rs Gilmurray, Jonathan Usage Guidelines Please refer to usage guidelines at http://ualresearchonline.arts.ac.uk/policies.html or alternatively contact [email protected] . License: Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial No Derivatives Unless otherwise stated, copyright owned by the author Ecology and Environmentalism in Contemporary Sound Art by Jonathan Gilmurray A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at the University of the Arts London July 2018 CRiSAP (Creative Research into Sound Arts Practice) London College of Communication Director of studies: Prof. Cathy Lane Co-supervisor: Prof. Angus Carlyle 1 2 With thanks to my supervisors at the University of the Arts London, Prof. Cathy Lane and Prof. Angus Carlyle, for their belief in this project, and for guiding, challenging and supporting me through the process of bringing it to fruition; and to the TECHNE Doctoral Training Partnership for funding this research, as well as providing access to an invaluable interdisciplinary network of fellow researchers. Dedicated with love to my wife Kat, for her unwavering support and belief in me throughout the research and writing of this thesis; and to my baby daughter Wren, born just as I completed the final draft, who reminds me daily of the fact that her generation is depending on us to take the urgent action required to address the ecological crisis threatening their future – a fact which makes it a fundamental part of our duty of care to them to shine a spotlight on it in every aspect of contemporary culture. This research, in its small contribution towards that end, is most of all for you. 3 4 Abstract In recent years, ecological issues have grown to become some of the most significant socio- political concerns of our time – something which has been reflected by an explosion in engagement with such issues across every area of arts and culture. Across most major art forms, this trend has been identified, analysed and promoted both by critical studies in the growing field of ecocriticism, and by the curatorial recognition of new ‘ecological’ genres; however, to date there has been no equivalent ecologically-focused engagement within sound art. This can be recognised as the product of two significant gaps in sound art scholarship: the first critical in nature, regarding the lack of ecocritical engagement with sound art; and the second curatorial, regarding the failure to recognise the growing number of ecologically-engaged works of sound art as a distinct genre in their own right. The research detailed within this thesis will address each of these gaps by conducting a comprehensive investigation into ecology and environmentalism in contemporary sound art. The critical gap will be tackled by coupling a thorough analysis of the field of ecocriticism with an investigation into the ways in which ecological principles manifest within sound as a medium and listening as a means of engagement. This will then be used to develop a new ecocritical framework specifically designed for sound art, which will be employed to conduct ecocritical listenings to a selection of canonical and contemporary sound works. To address the curatorial gap, meanwhile, a new genre of ‘ecological sound art’ will be proposed, with a second set of ecocritical listenings focused upon a selection of ecological sound works in order to determine the precise nature of their ecological engagement, and to develop both a comprehensive definition and an initial catalogue of works for this important and timely contemporary movement. 5 6 Contents Terminology ……………………………………………………………………………. 11 Introduction ……………………………………………………………………………. 15 1. The Cultural Response to Contemporary Ecological Issues Introduction ………………………………………………………………………… 19 1.1 Ecocritical approaches to the arts 1.1.1 Literary ecocriticism ……………………………………………………….. 21 1.1.2 Ecocritical art history ………………………………………………………. 24 1.1.3 Ecocritical film and theatre studies ………………………………………… 25 1.1.4 Ecomusicology……………………………………………………………… 25 1.1.5 Eco-aesthetics ……………………………………………………………… 26 1.1.6 Exclusion of sound art from ecocriticism ………………………………….. 27 1.2 Curations of ecological genres 1.2.1 Arguments against the establishment of new ecological genres …………… 29 1.2.2 Environmental art and eco-art ……………………………………………… 32 1.2.3 Environmental literature and ecofiction ……………………………………. 35 1.2.4 Ecocinema and ecotheatre ………………………………………………….. 37 1.2.5 Ecomusic? ………………………………………………………………….. 38 1.2.6 Exclusion of sound art from eco-art curations ……………………………... 39 1.3 Ecological sound art: establishing a new genre 1.3.1 Terminology ………………………………………………………………... 40 1.3.2 Definition …………………………………………………………………... 42 1.4 An initial selection of ecological sound works 43 ………………………………… 1.4.1 The polar regions …………………………………………………………... 44 1.4.2 Trees and forests …………………………………………………………… 46 1.4.3 Rivers and seas ……………………………………………………………... 48 1.4.4 Atmosphere and climate …………………………………………………… 49 1.4.5 Extinct and endangered species ……………………………………………. 50 Conclusion ………………………………………………………………………….. 52 2. An Ecocritical Framework for Sound Art Introduction ………………………………………………………………………… 55 2.1 Ecocritical principles 7 2.1.1 Purpose ……………………………………………………………………... 56 2.1.2 Perspectives ………………………………………………………………… 57 2.1.3 Approaches ………………………………………………………………… 59 2.2 Ecocritical approach I: Ecological subject matter 2.2.1 The natural environment I. Pastoral ……………………………………………………………... 60 II. Wilderness ………………………………………………………….. 62 2.2.2 The urban environment and human technologies ………………………….. 64 2.2.3 Nature / culture …………………………………………………………….. 66 2.2.4 Ecological issues …………………………………………………………… 70 2.3 Ecocritical approach II: Ecological form and operation 2.3.1 Ecology and ecocriticism …………………………………………………... 76 2.3.2 The perception of ecological interconnectedness ………………………….. 78 2.3.3 The experience of ecological embeddedness ………………………………. 82 2.3.4 Enabling the appreciation of nonhuman agency …………………………… 87 2.3.5 Proposing new directions for ecological futures …………………………… 92 2.4 An ecocritical framework for sound art ……………………………………….. 94 Conclusion ………………………………………………………………………….. 97 3. Ecocritical Listenings in Sound Art Introduction ………………………………………………………………………… 99 3.1 Ecocritical analyses I: Canonical works 3.1.1 Electronic composition: Edgard Varèse – Poème Électronique (1957-8) …. 101 3.1.2 Sound sculpture: Robert Morris – Box with the Sound of its Own Making (1961) ………………………………………………………………... 103 3.1.3 Performative: Christian Woolf – Stones (1969) / Sticks (1971) …………… 108 3.1.4 Installation: David Tudor – Rainforest IV (1973) ………………………….. 113 3.1.5 Field recording: Annea Lockwood – A Sound Map of the Hudson River (1982) …….………………………………………………………….. 117 3.1.6 Soundscape composition: Hildegard Westerkamp – Kits Beach Soundwalk (1989) ….…………………………………………………………….. 120 3.2 Ecocritical analyses II: Contemporary works 3.2.1 Susan Phillipsz – Lowlands (2010) ………………………………………… 127 3.2.2 Raviv Ganchrow – Long Wave Synthesis (2015) …………………………... 131 Conclusion ………………………………………………………………………….. 134 8 4. Ecological Sound Art Introduction ………………………………………………………………………… 137 4.1 A spectrum of ecological sound art ……………………………………………. 138 4.2 Ecocritical analyses I: The polar regions ……………………………………… 139 4.2.1 The sound of melting ice …………………………………………………… 140 4.2.2 Glacial installations ………………………………………………………… 142 4.2.3 People and the poles ………………………………………………………... 147 4.3 Ecocritical analyses II: Trees and forests ……………………………………… 156 4.3.1 Listening to the forest ……………………………………………………… 156 4.3.2 Interacting with the forest ………………………………………………….. 163 4.4 Ecological sound art: a definition-in-progress ………………………………… 172 Conclusion ………………………………………………………………………….. 174 5. Findings, Problematics and Future Directions Introduction ………………………………………………………………………… 175 5.1 Findings ………………………………………………………………………... 176 5.2 Problematics 5.2.1 Limitations of an ecocritical listening strategy …………………………….. 189 5.2.2 Subjectivity of both the critical and the curatorial exercise ………………... 190 5.2.3 The question of programme note dependence ……………………………... 191 5.2.4 Problematic of judging a work’s ecological footprint ……………………... 192 5.2.5 Impossibility of measuring positive ecological impact ……………………. 195 5.3 Future directions 5.3.1 Directions for future ecocritical sound art research ………………………... 195 5.3.2 Directions for future ecological sound art ………………………………...... 197 Conclusion ………………………………………………………………………...... 204 Conclusion ……………………………………………………………………………… 207 Appendix: A Catalogue of Ecological Sound Art ……………………………………. 213 Research Outputs ……………………………………………………………………… 217 Works Cited ……………………………………………………………………………. 219 References …………………………………………………………………………….... 233 9 10 Terminology Prior to commencing this investigation into ecology and environmentalism in contemporary sound art, it is important to clarify the meaning of some of the key terminology as it is used within this thesis. What is meant by the terms ‘ecology’ and ‘environmentalism’? What does ‘ecological issues’ refer to? And what is encompassed by the term ‘sound art’? Ecology and Environmentalism In the case of ‘ecology’ and ‘environmentalism’, their official definitions in the