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River Listening: Real-time Soundscapes and Interactive Experiences
Other creative works - Sound

River Listening: Real-time Soundscapes and Interactive Experiences

Leah Barclay and Toby Gifford
International Symposium of Electronic Art (ISEA), 29th (Brisbane, Australia, 21-Jun-2024–29-Jun-2024)
2024
Appears in  NTRO Research Collection
url
https://isea2024.isea-international.org/river-listening/View
Event Website
url
https://rl.offig.com/View
Audio Open

Abstract

Digital and electronic media art Freshwater ecology Expanding knowledge in creative arts and writing studies Rehabilitation or conservation of fresh, ground and surface water environments acoustic ecology ecoacoustics design sound freshwater ecoacoustics augmented reality hydrophones
Looking at the surface of a river, it is impossible to detect environmental changes. Freshwater ecoacoustics is a growing field that uses underwater audio recordings to monitor aquatic ecosystems in a non-invasive way (Linke et al. 2018). River Listening leverages this approach to enhance public engagement in freshwater conservation through listening and interdisciplinary creative projects. The project asks: how can creative practice and listening to rivers enhance the conservation of global freshwater ecosystems? At ISEA2024, River Listening celebrated 10 years of global engagement with a major new juried work to engage listeners through real-time soundscapes and interactive experiences. By integrating live streaming hydrophones in the Brisbane River with composed GPS-triggered soundscapes that connected ISEA venues, the project presented a pioneering example of how soundscapes can be used for biodiversity monitoring and globally accessible conservation engagement. The site-specific soundscapes evolved and updated daily during ISEA for the audience onsite, while the live streaming hydrophones and listening platform were accessible to global audiences via riverlistening.com.au This work was selected by an international jury as a major work for ISEA2024, the most significant international research forum for electronic arts. The GPS-triggered soundscapes have reached an audience of over 24,000 listeners and connected the sound of 16 global river systems for ISEA2024 in a unique experience that evolved daily, accompanying the live streaming hydrophones which attracted international engagement. The project has received funding from ANAT and Creative Australia, was a featured project for ANAT 20th Anniversary of Synapse (the most significant art-science residency program in Australia) and showcased on Google Arts and Culture in 2024.

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