sonic footprints

In a nutshell:

It's actually quite simple: The research project "sonic footprints" is concerned with the ecological consequences of noise generated by the industrial manufacture of products. It all started with the question of what acoustic footprint everyday products actually leave in the landscape - and how this affects animals and ecosystems. While the climate crisis has now reached a broad public and is widely debated, there are environmental problems that are barely mentioned. For example, sound emissions have hardly been discussed as an environmental problem, which sparked my interest in the connection between sound and ecology. That is how the idea was born to research the consequences of the invisible phenomenon of sound in a multidisciplinary way. Now this research is to be published in the form of a record.

In detail:

My research project focuses on the dolphin as a case study - both as a concrete product in the form of a toy dolphin and as an affected living being. Dolphins are popular animals and are sold as toys by the millions every year. But what ecological responsibility goes hand in hand with the consumption of such products? What footprint does their production leave on the ocean ecosystem, the home of (non-toy) dolphins? Dolphins are known for their sensitive hearing, which is essential for their survival, as it helps them orient in the vast sea. The production of the toy dolphin is associated with an industry that produces so much noise underwater that it can become a deadly hazard to the real dolphin.
To illustrate this, I have captured the noise that occurs along the supply chain of the toy dolphin; both above and below the water. They are now to be heard as a "sonic footprint" on the record.

Now sound is a phenomenon whose ecological effect is difficult to assess. Scientific research on this topic has only existed for a few decades, so there are only a few studies on the topic of sound emissions in ecosystems.
Measuring an acoustic footprint is a new concept for which there is no standard approach yet. Therefore, I interviewed several specialists on the topic of sound and collected their current knowledge to get closer to the answer to my question. Among the specialists are a bioacoustician (Gianni Pavan), a phenomenologist (Robert Rosenberger), a philosopher who writes about sound (Salomé Voegelin) and an anthropologist who deals with environmental perception (Tim Ingold). In a collection of interviews, a multi-perspective discourse has thus emerged in which the ecological impact of the "sonic footprint" is being discussed.

The interviews are an invitation to expand our understanding of ecology by referring to sound.

What will you be hearing on the record?

The final part of the project revolves around the question of how to make the issue not only scientifically understood, but also emotionally tangible.
The field recordings were thus given to two renowned artists who specialize in working with recordings/samples. This resulted in soundpieces in which sound was not talked about, but worked with directly. The record is an interdisciplinary examination of the elusive medium of sound - an invitation to join in the discussion, to feel empathy, to become more sensitive.

Now the project is in the starting blocks to be published and still needs the necessary funding.

The aim of the project is to generate new perspectives on ecology through a multi-perspective investigation of man-made noise.
In an interdisciplinary discourse, perspectives from science, philosophy and music come together to initiate a new understanding of ecology, including sound.
The aim is to use this publication as a starting point to deepen the research project "sonic footprints". Through a wider reach created by the publication, we increase the network in which the research question is pursued. Since this is an interdisciplinary work, the target groups are widely spread.

People for whom the publication is a must have:

• ecologists
[musicians

• designers
• Phenomenologists
• anthropologists

business target groups of the publication are:

• publishers
• record labels
• sound festivals
• institutes dealing with ecology
• design magazines

The project is within the realm of Artistic Research. A creative form of acquiring knowledge, where artistic methods complement scientific practice. This form of research has far fewer funding options than purely scientific research projects, which is why I decided to crowdfund the publication.
Artistic research is an important contribution to finding new research questions and thereby advancing the process of gaining knowledge. The project "sonic footprints" pleads for a more sensitive perception of the environment through the sense of hearing. The consideration of sound in our understanding of ecology is essential, considering how many living beings communicate through sound. By publishing "sonic footprints" as a record you help us to bring this thinking out into the world and also to sensitize other people to listen more carefully.

The following items require funding in order for the publication to succeed:
Anything raised above the funding goal will benefit the artists* involved.

• Pressing of the record in transparent blue (300x): 2500€
• Print of the interviews on an accompanying poster (300x): 500€
• Mastering of all audio content digitally and for vinyl: 300€
• Proofreading of all texts: 100€
• Graphic design of poster and cover: 2600€
• Artistic contributions of all musicians: 2000€
• Percentage to Startnext
• Shipping and parcel costs for record and merch