Environments 12

Background In a world where the reproduction, synthesis, and management of soundscapes have become ubiquitous and planetary in scope, with loudspeakers and microphones intricately woven into the biosphere, a cybernetic ecology emerges. This creative project explores the politics, aesthetics, and economics of 'environmental soundscapes' to deepen our understanding of the relationship between natural environments, human activities, emerging technologies, and sonic experiences that shape our perception of the world. It asks how the 'environmental soundscape' can be made understandable, communicable, measurable, and marketable, what purpose such actions serve, and with what effect. Contribution Environments 12 is a multi-channel sound installation accompanied by printed LP sleeves, conceived by Joel Stern, Sean Dockray, and James Parker of the artistic research collaboration Machine Listening. Taking the form of a 'concept album,' it draws inspiration from the once-popular Environments series—a sequence of 11 records released between 1969 and 1979, credited with anticipating the mass market for commercial nature recordings. Unfolding across historical, contemporary, and speculative scenes, the work is narrated by vocal performers and their generative voice clones. Integrating curatorial research, artistic production, sound studies, acoustic ecology, environmental science, and critical data studies, it contributes to interdisciplinary field of machine listening. The research aims to shape public discourse on human-machine interaction, artificial intelligence, sound and listening while advocating for the role of artists in shaping public perceptions of these issues. Significance The work was commissioned for 'Wild Hope: Conversations for a Planetary Commons’ and presented at Now or Never, an arts festival supported by the City of Melbourne. The work was on display from 15 August to 30 September 2023 and reached a substantial audience and garnered critical coverage and reviews.