Category: English

Last Summer I was lucky to be invited to work with fema group (Hanna Kahrola, Tuija Touhunen, Anna Kupari). I acted as a “conversational shoulder” in the group, discussing about soundscape, public space, feminist methodologies, situational knowledge, the night time, wolves, epidemics, things like that. I’m planning to write about what we did in more detail but in the meantime here’s a video showing one part of the working process.

This was filmed during September. Performers are Kahrola and Touhunen. Edit by yours truly.

References to the lecture:

Bassett, Caroline & Ben Roberts 2019. Automation now and then: Automation fevers, anxieties and utopias. New Formations. DOI: 10.3898/newF:98.02.2019

Beer, David 2010. Mobile music, coded objects and everyday spaces. Mobilities 5: 4, 469–484. 

Bijsterveld, Karin 2018. Mechanical Sound. Technology, Culture, and Public Problems of Noise in the Twentieth Century. Cambridge, Mass.: The MIT Press.

Bucher, Taina 2016. Neither black nor box. Ways of knowing algorithms. In Innovative methods in media and communication research, eds. Sebastian Kubitschko and Anne Kaun. Palgrave Macmillan. DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-40700-5_5

Crary, Jonathan 1999. Suspentions of perception: Attention, spectacle, and modern culture. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press.

Hayles, Katherine 1999. How We Became Posthuman: virtual bodies in cybernetics, literature, and informatics. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Kitchin, Rob & Dodge, Martin 2011. Code/Space. Software And Everyday Life. Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press.

Krivý, Maroš 2016. Towards a critique of cybernetic urbanism: The smart city and the society of control. Planning Theory. DOI: 10.1177/1473095216645631 

Kytö, Meri 2019. The senses and the city: Attention, distraction and media technology in urban environments. The Routledge companion to urban media and communication. Eds. Z. Krajina & D. Stevenson. London: Routledge, 371–378. DOI: 10.4324/9781315211633-39

Lahjoita puhetta 2020. Yle. URL: https://yle.fi/aihe/lahjoita-puhetta

Librivox 2014. Karel Capek: R.U.R. (Rossum’s Universal Robots). URL: https://librivox.org/rur-rossums-universal-robots-by-karel-capek/

Männistö-Funk, Tiina & Tanja Sihvonen 2018. Voices from the Uncanny Valley. How Robots and Artificial Intelligences Talk Back to Us. Digital culture and society, 4: 1.

Paasonen, Susanna 2016. Fickle focus: Distraction, affect and the production of value in social media. First Monday, 21(10). https://doi.org/10.5210/fm.v21i10.6949

Parviainen, Jaana 2014. Mediakaupungin viettelyn logiikka ja kairoottiset silmänräpäykset. Media ja viestintä 37: 1

Saariketo, Minna 2020. Kuvitelmia toimijuudesta koodin maisemissa. Tampere: University of Tampere. http://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-952-03-1531-3

Santangelo, Marco 2016. A (more?) intelligent city. Noesis. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.20983/noesis.2016.12.5

Thompson, Marie 2020. Music in the Post-Mom Economy. Keynote at RMA conference. Script of the lecture: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f105cc8cdeb4f35285b5b68/t/5f59c24e59ab3511edd7aaae/1599717969427/music+in+the+post+mom+economy.pdf

Tonight show with Jimmy Fallon 2017. With guest David Hanson and Sophia. URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bg_tJvCA8zw

Wiener, Norbert 1961. Cybernetics: or control and communication in the animal and the machine. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press.

This is a list of links to online content (audio, pictures, text, “media”) documenting and commenting on the sonic environment during Spring 2020. EDIT: Additions from Spring 2021 are in green.]

As there is a huge amount of content scattered in the web, this is not in any way close to being exhaustive but a resource and a memo you can use. Also as you can clearly see, the list reflects my place in the world (I live in Finland), my research interests, language skills and search engine algorithm bias.

If there is something you’d like to see on the list, please write a comment below.

Thank you for all who contributed to the list, much appreciated!

Corona sound map projects

1. Radio Aporee Project Corona
   https://aporee.org/maps/work/projects.php?project=corona
2. Cities and memory: #StayHomeSounds
   https://citiesandmemory.com/covid19-sounds/
3. Covid-19 Sound Map by Pete Stollery: https://earth.google.com/web/@31.61265225,32.75149559,8133.66958234a,25017742.90688754d,35y,0h,0t,0r/data=MicKJQojCiExN0MwN3o5Y1JIOV8ycjRXOE5IYmlYSkt0cDVFMHBCcl86AwoBMA [Chrome browser needed]
4. Sound Outside Map: Listening to the world at Covid-19 Time
   https://www.soundesign.info/2020/03/28/the-sound-outside/
5. Locus Sonus, real time audio streaming
   http://locusonus.org/soundmap
6. Muuttuvat suomalaiset äänimaisemat Listening Map: Poikkeuksellinen kevät 2020: http://kartta.aanimaisemat.fi/projects
7. Locate your sound, Italian Covid-19 sound map: https://locateyoursound.com/paesaggi-sonori-italiani-covid19
   (see also related essay: https://ilmanifesto.it/covid-19-il-ritmo-del-silenzio/)
8. Several recordings (Grenoble) and soundwalks (Turin) on Cartophonies during confinement (search year 2020):
   https://www.cartophonies.fr/
9. Sound recordings from Fukushima and Sendai, Japan, by Koji Nagahata: https://www.sss.fukushima-u.ac.jp/~nagahata/covid-sp/index-e.html
10. Freesound Audio Database, with the search word “covid”:
    https://freesound.org/search/?q=covid
11. Based on the list collated by Society for Ethnomusicology members of hundreds of corona themes songs around the world, Elise Heinisch has made a very accessible map: https://padlet.com/eliseheinisch/a_global_coronavirus_playlist (Because of “national education system she has had to filter certain songs which could be viewed as religious, political, or otherwise controversial”, so it now contains 139 songs from the list. The list keeps growing substantially.)
12. Lisbon sound postcards in times of Covid-19, a tourist city without tourists: http://www.soundsoftourism.pt/soundpostcards-in-times-of-covid-19-confinement/

Articles or blog posts about “change in soundscape” or similar

1. The quiet life, article on The Monthly:
   https://www.themonthly.com.au/issue/2020/may/1588255200/nicola-redhouse/quiet-life#mtr
2. Article on Toronto Star:
   https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2020/04/18/in-these-disquieting-covid-19-time-hushed-cities-are-making-a-loud-impression-on-our-ears.html
3. Scientific Sonification – The Sound of Corona, essay by Holger Schulze:
   http://passiveaggressive.dk/scientific-sonification-the-sound-of-corona/
4. Less seismic vibration on Earth (YLE, in Finnish, references Nature journal):
   https://yle.fi/uutiset/3-11295684
5. Birds sing louder (Iltalehti, in Finnish, references Reuters):
   https://www.iltalehti.fi/ulkomaat/a/70a94312-3615-48a4-a33d-ccef6de2100e
6. Reduced marine noise (The Guardian)
   https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/apr/27/silence-is-golden-for-whales-as-lockdown-reduces-ocean-noise-coronavirus
7. Essay on Istanbul, by Burcu Yasin:
   https://terrabayt.com/expat-life/the-soundscape-of-covid-19-in-istanbul/
8. Essay on various places, by Matt Mikkelsen
   https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/changing-sound-of-cities
9. The bagpipes at Lauttasaari, Helsinki (in Finnish):
   https://www.lauttasaari.fi/suurenmoinen-sakkipillinainen-esiin-soitan-kannustukseksi-ja-valittamisen-osoitukseksi/
10. Silent Helsinki (YLE, in Finnish):
    https://yle.fi/uutiset/3-11259414
11. Silent Kuopio (YLE, in Finnish):
    https://yle.fi/uutiset/3-11313383
12. Not so silent Helsinki (HS, in Finnish, mentions the legendary Corona Bar):
    https://www.hs.fi/kaupunki/art-2000006449033.html
13. Silent day care centers (MTV, in Finnish):
    https://www.mtv.fi/sarja/kevennys-10-4-2020-33001002004/korona-on-hiljentanyt-paivakodit-ja-paasiaisaskartelu-on-jaanyt-vahaiselle-aleksin-paivakotitadit-askartelivat-ikkunaan-lasten-paasiaisvisan-1243021
14. Silence retreats by Tampere parishes are cancelled between March-May (in Finnish):
    https://tampereenseurakunnat.fi/tutki_uskoa/retriittielamaa/retriittikalenteri
15. Music for corona generation (in Dutch):
    https://www.thisisourhouse.nl/features/muziek-voor-een-corona-generatie/
16. Seismograf article compilation on sounds of 2020, essays collected through a writing competition  (Lyden af 2020, in Danish): https://seismograf.org/fokus/lyden-af-2020
17. A collection of written experiences with the sonic environment during lockdown (in English and Dutch): https://urbansoundlab.nl/listening-to-the-city-in-times-of-corona/ (see also the related open call: https://soundtrackcity.net/open-call-how-do-you-experience-a-quieter-city/
18. A blog by field recordist Arnoud Traa in Amsterdam: https://deauditievedienst.tumblr.com/ (tags #corona recordings and #coronarecordings)
19. The Observer: Why lockdown silence was golden for science, June 20th, https://www.theguardian.com/science/2020/jun/20/why-lockdown-silence-was-golden-for-science
20. “Missing Sounds of New York: An Auditory Love Letter to New Yorkers”, New York City library’s list of sound recordings from NY “before Covid-19”. https://www.nypl.org/blog/2020/05/01/missing-sounds-of-new-york, see also a story by Ashawnta Jackson at https://daily.jstor.org/recalling-city-sounds-during-a-quarantine/ 
21. Jez riley French’s blog diary on listening during the pandemic: https://jezrileyfrench-aquietposition.blogspot.com/2020/03/552020-i-first-posted-about-this-during.html

22. “Singing Together, Apart”, by Rachael Beale, blog post at London Review of Books site: https://www.lrb.co.uk/blog/2020/june/singing-together-apart

Silence in pictures: empty cities photo reportages

1. Istanbul (Sabah, in Turkish): https://www.sabah.com.tr/galeri/yasam/istanbulda-korona-sessizligi/13
2. Istanbul (Milliyet, in Turkish): https://www.milliyet.com.tr/galeri/corona-virus-sessizligi-istanbulu-hic-boyle-gormediniz-6173749/1
3. London (Financial Times): https://www.ft.com/content/e2b314aa-69d2-11ea-800d-da70cff6e4d3
4. Segovia (El Norte de Castilla, in Spanish): https://www.elnortedecastilla.es/segovia/estridente-silencio-ciudad-20200405121429-nt.html
5. Paris (Le Point, in French): https://www.lepoint.fr/societe/en-images-coronavirus-paris-ville-morte-17-03-2020-2367562_23.php

Social media videos / streams of sounding out, playing, singing that have caught my attention

1. How I’m Handling Online Teaching (Original Screaming Teacher Video)
   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zy_y9yOrgxk
2. HUS (Helsinki University Hospital) doctors choir (in Finnish):
   https://www.nly.fi/pida-huolta/
3. Saturday evening music by Lauttasaari church, Piia Maunula on baroque oboe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHJndfPdUA0
4. The Lahti Symphony Orchestra: Sibelius: Finlandia op 26
   https://youtu.be/Sh1L-8T5hu0
5. Virtuaalikuoro (Virtual Choir project, in Finnish)
   https://www.facebook.com/virtuaalikuoro/
6. Vaskivuoren lukion kuoro (Vaskivuori High School virtual choir, in Finnish):
   https://www.vantaa.fi/uutisia/101/0/150216 and
   https://youtu.be/OrThp_wFI7k
7. Covid-19 parody songs FB group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2717954571809688/
8. Darude Sandstorm on your balcony (in Finnish), FB group with videos: https://www.facebook.com/groups/669917093758944/
9. Video from early March with a hazmat dancer and people cheering in Spain: https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=521289605463875&id=361430174733
10. Balcony scene from Germany, a commentary on balcony singing: https://mobile.twitter.com/MusicIsPeople/status/1239500328862695425 (Searching social media platforms with “balcony singing” provides lots of videos.)
11. Spectral Electric: Pandemic Response Division album
    https://spectralelectric.bandcamp.com/album/pandemic-response-division
12. Alex Ross essay on pianist Igor Levit’s home concerts:
    https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/05/18/igor-levit-is-like-no-other-pianist
13. The Boccaccio Project, a ollection and commision of musical performances by the Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/concerts/boccaccio-project/

Research projects or surveys about the same subject

1. Year of Sound 2020 response to Covid-19:
   https://sound2020.org/news/soundscape-under-covid-19-and-wiki-for-sound/
2. Silent Cities: A participatory monitoring programme of an exceptional modification of urban soundscapes:
   https://renoir.hypotheses.org/files/2020/03/Silent·Cities-Project.pdf
3. Survey by Paola Moscoso:
   https://es.surveymonkey.com/r/RQ69GXZ
4. The Hellenic Society for Acoustic Ecology’s International Survey: https://forms.gle/tHd4WZ3EgKXx7smz7
5. The Collegium Hungaricum Berlin Open Call for making a collective soundscape compositions:
   https://www.facebook.com/events/2489926544601566/
6. Invitation for sound contributions for Live Release, open call:
   https://livereleaseconvergence.tumblr.com/
7. Call for works: Sonic, Social, Distance and Soundtracks for Strange Days, curated by Maile Colbert at Sonic Field: https://sonicfield.org/2020/05/call-for-works-sonic-social-distance-and-soundtracks-for-strange-days/

Sound art works on the subject

1. A radiophonic sound work “Poikkeusaika” by Taina Riikonen on life in quarantine: https://areena.yle.fi/audio/1-50513054
2. “Poikkeustila” soundscape work by Mikko Haapoja under the project The routes of Helsinki (Helsingin reitit): http://mikkohaapoja.net/helsinginreitit/poikkeustila.htm
3. Ricardo Huisman’s (DJ Sensescape) compositions of his contributions to the Aporee sound map, published as an album: https://ricardohuisman.bandcamp.com/album/sensescapes-in-the-pandemic-disruptive-transparencies
4. “Sounds of COVID album” by Sammy Holmes and co, Carleton University, Ottawa: https://sammyholmes.wixsite.com/website/sounds-of-covid-album (see also reflections on the project here).

The 13th Evening of Sounds went out of Pasila studios and to the wild – Turku! A three hour live ”listening walk” was broadcasted in Radio Suomi on Thursday, August 15th. Together with artists Simo and Tuike Alitalo, researcher Heikki Uimonen and show host Jukka Mikkola, and with the technical help of sound designers Mikko Kuokka and Antti Pohjola and producer Pertti Ylikojola back at the OB van, we walked some 7 kilometers listening to the very lively Night of the Arts (“Taiteiden yö”), celebrating it’s 30th year.

You can listen to the program here: https://areena.yle.fi/1-50211380. During the first hour we climb to the Vartiovuori hill, the second we spend around the old city centre, around Tuomiokirkko, and the third hour we went up and down the Aura river with a boat (with an electric engine, and with captain Nigel Helyer). A wonderful moment personally, just at the end of the second hour, is listening to the old door of the Turku Main Library. Some creaking hinges from 2005 and 2019. (There wasn’t time to play the recording from 2010, you can listen to it here: http://kartta.aanimaisemat.fi/sound/115)

I’ve written a chapter about the program to Music radio: building communities, mediating genres (eds. M. Michelsen, M. Krogh, S. Kaargaard Nielsen and I. Have. London: Bloomsbury, 2018) with the title “Mediated Soundscapes: Representations of the National in the Soundscape Call-in Programme Äänien ilta.” If you’d wish to read it but don’t have access to the book, drop me a line.

Here’s an excerpt from the beginning:

“During the last five years, the Finnish Broadcasting Company YLE has been broadcasting a call-in programme on environmental sounds [–]. The three-hour live program called Äänien ilta (‘evening of sounds’) is [usually] aired on a Sunday evening slot and with approximately 220 000 listeners per show it is considered a popular event with listeners and critics alike. The programme consists of callers’ narratives on their personal and sometimes intimate experiences and memories on both current and past sonic phenomena. The callers request recorded sounds they would like to hear in the programme. Some requests are selected and fulfilled with the help of the YLE sound archives and present-day soundscape recordings produced by soundscape archiving projects outside YLE. The host of the show, Jukka Mikkola, discusses the sound requests and stories connected to them together with the callers and studio guests representing soundscape research, sound art and sound design.

Äänien ilta falls somewhere between the more conventional radio programmes such as music call-in shows, citizen’s forums and studio conversation programmes. The radical idea of dedicating three live hours for environmental sound recordings, call-ins and brief commentaries is exceptional. The sound recordings listened to are often quite long samples without a dramatic structure, not only sound effects to feed brief sonic curiosity. The audience is offered a position to listen to the sounds together with the host and studio guests attentively, possibly unlike in everyday situations and thus attach personal and communal meanings to them via a public broadcast.”

 

All Evening of Sounds programs are archived online to YLE Elävä arkisto: https://yle.fi/aihe/artikkeli/2013/04/11/aanien-illoissa-kuunnellaan-kadonneitakin-aania

The roundtable – Aural Visions: Artistic Spaces, Making Places – was curated and chaired by Miriam De Rosa and tackled topics such as sound art and placemaking, mapping and navigating space through sound/aural artistic practice, audiovisual media and acousmatic music, interactive screen and sound media. Taking part in the roundtable together with me were Tom Williams, Elena Biserna and Yiorgis Sakellariou.

Mapping Spaces, Sounding Places: Geographies of Sound in Audiovisual Media was organized at the Department of Musicology and Cultural Heritage, University of Pavia (Cremona).