Sonic Dreams - Extinction
Sonic Dreams is an open instrument composition that looks at species extinction in the Australian context. Viewed through an examination of loss or absence in our soundscape, this piece proposes imagined sounds from the perspective of individual extinct or critically endangered spieces as both a pro-active environmental stance, and as an interconnectedness to place, history and myth. Using archival research, heavily dominated by visual and descriptive materials – rarely sounded, embodied knowledge – the performers job is to reconstruct an unknowable scenario.
Sonic Dreams was commissioned by Greywing Ensemble and is released on their album Nature Forms. It has also been performed by the Tomlin|Fergus Duo, The Eco-Acoustics International Congress, Easter at the Piano Mill and by numerous performers around the globe.
History
ERA Category
- Original Creative Work - Musical composition
Funding type
- Other
Eligible major research output?
- Yes
Research Statement
Research Background Sonic Dreams – Extinction, is a new composition for improvisers, recreating the sounds of extinct and endangered species. Commissioned by GreyWing Ensemble in Perth, it localises extinct species of this region, looking at endemic species including the night parrot, western swamp turtle, giant anteater, big-eared hopping mouse, rat-kangaroo, western rufous bristlebird, lesser stick nest rat, and pig-footed bandicoot. This work extends Tomlinson’s text-based compositional practice, highlighting musical independence and intersections, musicians ability to recall information, and thinking around musical imagination. Research Contribution Sonic Dreams – Extinction, proposes to musicians a site to experiment with and explore unknown sounds. Using the metaphor of our changing soundscape, the musical imagination is free to solve sonic puzzles in creative ways. For instance, the instruction “Imagine the sound of the Western Swamp Turtle coming up for breath”, provides the performers the opportunity to reflect on the critically endangered Turtle who now lives only in the middle of Perth airport, with planes surrounding its every breath. It is an imagination of the sound world from the turtles perspective. Accompanied by video, this piece leads audience members to consider another aspect of extinction – literally the silencing and transformation of our sounding environment. Research Significance Sonic Dreams was first performed at WAAPA, Perth in 2016, but has since been performed repeatedly across Australia. Notable performances include Tomlin|Fergus Duo at Jugglers Art Space (Brisbane), John Ferguson with Clocked Out at EcoAcoustics International Conference, Lindsay Vickery and Clocked Out at The Piano Mill, Cooroora Institute, and GreyWing recording released on bandcamp https://lindsayvickery.bandcamp.com/album/greywing-artificial-field-at-coolchange Video links can be found here; https://vimeo.com/243566547Publisher
self-publishedPublisher URL
Confidential / Culturally sensitive
- No
Copyright notes
© 2017 The author/s hold copyright in this workLanguage
EnglishMedium
Electronic recordingsNumber of discrete components
8Was the work disseminated?
- Yes
Form of dissemination
- Exhibition
Scope of dissemination
- National