Lecture: Gordon Hempton at TEDx Amazon

Saving Silence From Extinction (19:20) For 25 years Gordon Hempton has recorded sounds that people have forgotten or have not given attention. In this presentation at TEDx Amazon he warns that silence is an endangered elements of the soundscape and he wants to save it from extinction.

The TEDx Amazon is a nonprofit conference bringing together more than 50 thinkers of knowledge areas as diverse as art and technology, science and business, to talk about their best ideas in talks lasting 5 or 15 minutes. Source: YouTube

Soundtracker: Amazon (4:54) Over 20 years ago, Gordon Hempton visited Brazil's Amazon to record the sounds of dawn. He recently returned. This is what it sounded like. A short film by Nick Sherman. Source: Vimeo

Lecture: Gordon Hempton at Sonikas 7, Madrid

Sound recordist Gordon Hempton discusses the documentary Soundtracker: A Portrait of Gordon Hempton, by filmmaker Nicholas Sherman at the 2009 International Festival of Experimental Music held at the Vallecas Villa in Madrid, Spain. Hempton's presentation includes a discussion of his life-long work as a sound recordist, and shares some of his favorite field recordings selected from those he has made around the world.

The presentation is in 5 Parts: 

• Part 1 (8:18)
• Part 2 (6:05)
• Part 3 (6:39)
• Part 4 (9:50)
• Part 5 (9:39)

Official Trailer: Soundtracker: A Portrait of Gordon Hempton. (2:31) In this documentary that shadows an Emmy-winning sound recordist at work, writer-director Nick Sherman captures one man's solitary obsession with obtaining "natural" sounds in an aural world that's littered with noise.

Source: YouTube

Lecture: Andra McCartney at Marionopolis College

Sound Walk Lecture. (32:36) Andra McCartney discusses the experience and purposes of soundwalks and her interest in doing research based upon purposeful listening. This presentation was given as part of a lecture series at Marionopolis College, Montreal, on March 8, 2011.

Source: YouTube

Research: Andra McCartney: Soundwalk Interactions

Andra McCartney has been, since the mid 1990s, developing an approach to the creation of electroacoustic soundwalk art which integrates audience responses into the creative development of walks and installations. Through her background in ethnomusicology, communication, and cultural studies, she thinks and writes about electroacoustic, sound art and sound recording fields as cultures, considering what kinds of interpretive routines are acceptable within these disciplines, and how aesthetic and professional discourses are established. She transforms soundwalk recordings into interactive installations. Her present project, Soundwalking Interactions, focuses on the experiences of audiences with different kinds of soundwalk activities. Source: Academia.edu.

Andrasound's Channel Contains numerous short videos related to her research and soundwalk interactions.

Noise Issues: China Noise Problems and Policy

Noise Pollution Control Plans. (:48)  Xinahua News Agency. VO China is working on new measures to combat noise pollution. The new guidelines focus on addressing noise pollution in areas including industry, construction, traffic and people's daily lives. For example, they ban businesses from using acoustic instruments outdoors. The new rules also say motor vehicles should strictly observe the speed limit. While traffic restrictions and horn-sounding bans around "noise-sensitive buildings" such as hospitals, schools and residential buildings, will be enforced. According to the guidelines, government agencies will also set up a system to examine the sound-proof qualities of civilian buildings. Major cities will establish an auto noise monitoring system and set up at least one noise display screen by the end of 2011. Source: Daily Motion.

Beijing Soundwalk (2:19) Jonathan Smyth. Smyth lives in Beijing, China and has filmed this sound walk down what he calls his favorite quiet street. He notes, "I love to hate the noise pollution that's found on a daily basis in China. The idea is usually, the louder the music coming from your store then the more customers it should attract." 

Playing with the decibel meter – Shanghai (1:36).  A student in taking a Sustainability Conscious class at Tongji University in Shanghai learns about the on-going public display of a decibel meters after his instructor Pius Leuba, informed him that  these meters are scattered around the city.  As the video notes, the readings were generally high and a conversation of about  70Db becomes difficult because of the ambient street noise. 

Documentary: New England Phonographer's Union: MIC'D

NEPU: MIC'D  (6:13) The New England Phonographer's Union is a fluid congregation of sound artists who play with the recontextualization of field recordings. This documentary follows a few of the members out in the field and at a show at Buoy Gallery in KIttery, Maine. Full information about NEPU and this video is available online.

Phonographer Chris Watson: Field Recording

Chris Watson is one of the world's leading recorder of wildlife and natural phenomena. His work as a wildlife sound recordist has covered television documentaries and experimental musical collaborations. His recordings are featured in the film The Constant Gardener and he has also contributed recordings to the Sigur Ros movie, Heima, which premiered at the Electric Proms in London in 2007. He's won several high-profile awards for his work, which he says, “puts a microphone where you can’t put your ears”. 

Chris Watson:  (9:42) Chris Watson discusses his field recording experiences and techniques in documenting the natural world sonic environment.  Source: Chris Watson web site.

Calls of the Wild: Chris Watson and Sir David Attenborough in conversation (11:49) Chris Watson is a renowned sound recordist and BAFTA winner for his work on the BBC documentary The Life of Birds. In this video he talks to long-time colleague Sir David Attenborough about their experiences of sound recording in the wild. The talk was held  at the Royal Institution of Great Britain and chaired by Richard Ranft, Head of the British Sound Archive. This is an excerpt of a 1.5 hour talk.  Source: Vimeo

Case Study: Chris Watson - Toolkit interview. (9:22) Case studies for Sound and Music's Artists' Toolkit features interviews with some key artists working in the world of sound. Interviews explore how artists have developed their practice and career by providing insight into how they make and support their work. Artists discuss some of their first experiences with sound and reveal aspects of their working process, while providing bits of advice to developing an artistic practice. Source: Vimeo

Chris Watson:  Recording at Port Eliot (3:21) Fresh off the plane from the North Pole, where he was working on the BBC's Frozen Planet, Chris came to Port Eliot  to record for a unique new sound installation – 'Sound into Light'. Source: Vimeo

Future Of Sound: Chris Watson (16:33) This presentation was recorded at De Montfort University in January 2009 Source: Vimeo

Wildlife Sound Recording in India (10:18) In April 2009 Chris Watson, Piers Warren and a group of sound recordists headed to Corbett Tiger Reserve in Northern India on a Wildeye expedition for an unforgettable adventure recording the sounds of the jungle. Source: YouTube


Springwatch: Amble Harbour eider ducks recorded (4:20) The unusual mating call of the male eider duck has been captured by Chris Watson who travels the world recording the voices of nature, but the eider duck can be found on his doorstep at Amble on the north east coast near Northumberland. Source: BBC

Lectures: Écologie Acoustique avec Charles De Mestral

The following is a series of presentations by Charles De Mestral on acoustic-ecology given between 2010-2011 at the Hochelaga-Maisonneuve Popular University. Charles De Mestral is a professor of philosophy and communication with Cégep du Vieux Montréal. All videos are in French.

3-20-2010 Écologie acoustique (2:05) (maleger)

2-22-2011 Introduction à l'écologie sonore (2:04) (maleger) Conférence d'introduction à l'écologie sonore à l'Université populaire (Upop) Hochelaga-Maisonneuve par Charles de Mestral. C'est la première d'une série de quatre conférences données par le Pr de Mestral sur ce sujet.

3-29-2011 Écologie acoustique - la culture sonore (2:04) (maleger) C'est la seconde conférence d'une série de quatre conférences données par le Pr de Mestral sur ce sujet.

4-12-2011 Écologie acoustique -  l'analyse du paysage sonore (2:04) (maleger) C'est la troisième conférence d'une série de quatre conférences données par le Pr de Mestral sur ce sujet.

4-27-2011 Les sons de la ville à Montréal  (:48) (maleger) Marche avec Charles de Mestral afin de vivre l'écologie acoustique de Montréal. Réalisé à l'Université populaire Hochelaga-Maisonneuve (Upop) du 27 avril 2010.

Source: Daily Motion