Jono Gilmurray | University of the Arts London (original) (raw)

Papers by Jono Gilmurray

Organised Sound, 2017

The years since the turn of the millennium have seen an increasing number of sound artists engagi... more The years since the turn of the millennium have seen an increasing number of sound artists engaging with contemporary environmental issues such as biodiversity loss, sustainability and climate change through their work, forming a growing movement of environmentally concerned sound art; however, their work has yet to achieve the recognition enjoyed by comparable environmentalist practices in almost every other art form. This article argues that this increasingly significant area of sound arts practice should be recognised as a distinct field in its own right, and proposes that it be termed ‘ecological sound art’, reflecting its equivalent in the visual arts. After establishing its current absence from both ecocritical and sound arts scholarship, it proceeds to outline some of the core approaches which characterise works of ecological sound art, as the first step towards its establishment as a coherent field of practice. The final section draws from key works of contemporary ecologica...

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The Bloomsbury Handbook of Sonic Methodologies, 2020

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In recent years, ecological issues have grown to become some of the most significant sociopolitic... more In recent years, ecological issues have grown to become some of the most significant sociopolitical concerns of our time – something which has been reflected by an explosion in engagement with such issues across every area of arts and culture. Across most major art forms, this trend has been identified, analysed and promoted both by critical studies in the growing field of ecocriticism, and by the curatorial recognition of new ‘ecological’ genres; however, to date there has been no equivalent ecologically-focused engagement within sound art. This can be recognised as the product of two significant gaps in sound art scholarship: the first critical in nature, regarding the lack of ecocritical engagement with sound art; and the second curatorial, regarding the failure to recognise the growing number of ecologically-engaged works of sound art as a distinct genre in their own right.

The research detailed within this thesis will address each of these gaps by conducting a comprehensive investigation into ecology and environmentalism in contemporary sound art. The critical gap will be tackled by coupling a thorough analysis of the field of ecocriticism with an investigation into the ways in which ecological principles manifest within sound as a medium and listening as a means of engagement. This will then be used to develop a new ecocritical framework specifically designed for sound art, which will be employed to conduct ecocritical listenings to a selection of canonical and contemporary sound works. To address the curatorial gap, meanwhile, a new genre of ‘ecological sound art’ will be proposed, with a second set of ecocritical listenings focused upon a selection of ecological sound works in order to determine the precise nature of their ecological engagement, and to develop both a comprehensive definition and an initial catalogue of works for this important and timely contemporary movement.

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Organised Sound, 2017

The years since the turn of the millennium have seen an increasing number of sound artists engagi... more The years since the turn of the millennium have seen an increasing number of sound artists engaging with contemporary environmental issues such as biodiversity loss, sustainability and climate change through their work, forming a growing movement of environmentally concerned sound art; however, their work has yet to achieve the recognition enjoyed by comparable environmentalist practices in almost every other art form. This article argues that this increasingly significant area of sound arts practice should be recognised as a distinct field in its own right, and proposes that it be termed ‘ecological sound art’, reflecting its equivalent in the visual arts. After establishing its current absence from both ecocritical and sound arts scholarship, it proceeds to outline some of the core approaches which characterise works of ecological sound art, as the first step towards its establishment as a coherent field of practice. The final section draws from key works of contemporary ecological theory, examining the fundamental accord that exists between the new modes of thought they propose and the ways in which we experience and relate to sound art, demonstrating that ecological sound art represents not only a significant new field of sound arts practice, but also a powerful ecological art form.

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Musicological Annual, 2016

In recent years, a number of sound artists have begun engaging with ecological issues through the... more In recent years, a number of sound artists have begun engaging with ecological issues through their work, forming a growing movement of ˝ecological sound art˝. This paper traces its development, examines its influences, and provides examples of the artists whose work is currently defining this important and timely new field.

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The sounds of the natural world have served as a key source of musical inspiration for composers ... more The sounds of the natural world have served as a key source of musical inspiration for composers throughout history; and for the last century, recording technology has enabled the utilisation of the sounds themselves as compositional material. The use of recorded environmental sound in musical works has become common practice for composers working in a plethora of different styles and genres, employing a wide variety of techniques; however, a comprehensive analysis and comparison of these different approaches has yet to been undertaken.

Aside from technical and stylistic considerations, the other vitally important question for such an analysis regards what this use of natural environmental sound as compositional material means, both to composers and listeners. In today’s society it is the increasingly significant socio-political issue of global climate change which dominantes contemporary thought regarding humankind’s relationship to the environment; and it is therefore inevitable that the resonances of this will be felt in any work which takes the sounds of the natural environment as its subject. The task of achieving a properly contemporary musicological analysis of such works therefore demands that they be considered from an ecomusicological perspective, which focuses on their socio-cultural significance in the light of contemporary environmental concerns.

In undertaking this ecomusicological analysis, stylistic traits become less important than the specific ways in which the environmental sound is used, the role that it plays within the composition, and the meanings that it generates. This paper will therefore propose a new critical framework for works which use natural environmental sound as compositional material, addressing a significant gap in ecomusicological scholarship and facilitating a new understanding of a common compositional practice which takes into account its new meaning to the ecologically-focussed society of the 21st century.

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Recent years have seen an exponential increase in the number of composers and sound artists direc... more Recent years have seen an exponential increase in the number of composers and sound artists directly responding to global environmental issues, such as biodiversity loss, pollution and climate change, through their creative practice. The philosophical concerns and practical methodologies of these composers and sound artists build on the established field of acoustic ecology, and the related genre of soundscape composition, but also venture well beyond them, setting them apart as a distinct new movement in music and sound art. However, as yet no new terminology has been found to define and describe this movement, either as an academic field of study or as an artistic genre.

Two composers who are at the forefront of this movement, David Monacchi and Matthew Burtner, have each independently adopted the term “ecoacoustic” in reference to their work: a term which this paper will propose as the most suitable to describe this contemporary movement of environmentally-concerned music and sound art. Although some significant differences exist between the artistic philosophies and creative practices of the two composers – which also, therefore, inevitably carry through into differences between their uses of the term – it will be argued that the similarities between them are significant enough for these differences to be regarded as variations upon a core set of principles and methodologies.

Through an investigation into what the term “ecoacoustic” means in the context of the work of Monacchi and Burtner, this paper will identify these core principles and methodologies, employing them as the basis for an initial “definition- in-progress” of ecoacoustic music and sound art. Finally, a selection of other composers and sound artists will be proposed whose work embodies the fundamental characteristics of this new field of “ecoacoustics”.

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Books by Jono Gilmurray

The Bloomsbury Handbook of Sonic Methodologies, 2020

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Environmental Sound Artists: In Their Own Words, 2016

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Organised Sound, 2017

The years since the turn of the millennium have seen an increasing number of sound artists engagi... more The years since the turn of the millennium have seen an increasing number of sound artists engaging with contemporary environmental issues such as biodiversity loss, sustainability and climate change through their work, forming a growing movement of environmentally concerned sound art; however, their work has yet to achieve the recognition enjoyed by comparable environmentalist practices in almost every other art form. This article argues that this increasingly significant area of sound arts practice should be recognised as a distinct field in its own right, and proposes that it be termed ‘ecological sound art’, reflecting its equivalent in the visual arts. After establishing its current absence from both ecocritical and sound arts scholarship, it proceeds to outline some of the core approaches which characterise works of ecological sound art, as the first step towards its establishment as a coherent field of practice. The final section draws from key works of contemporary ecologica...

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

The Bloomsbury Handbook of Sonic Methodologies, 2020

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

In recent years, ecological issues have grown to become some of the most significant sociopolitic... more In recent years, ecological issues have grown to become some of the most significant sociopolitical concerns of our time – something which has been reflected by an explosion in engagement with such issues across every area of arts and culture. Across most major art forms, this trend has been identified, analysed and promoted both by critical studies in the growing field of ecocriticism, and by the curatorial recognition of new ‘ecological’ genres; however, to date there has been no equivalent ecologically-focused engagement within sound art. This can be recognised as the product of two significant gaps in sound art scholarship: the first critical in nature, regarding the lack of ecocritical engagement with sound art; and the second curatorial, regarding the failure to recognise the growing number of ecologically-engaged works of sound art as a distinct genre in their own right.

The research detailed within this thesis will address each of these gaps by conducting a comprehensive investigation into ecology and environmentalism in contemporary sound art. The critical gap will be tackled by coupling a thorough analysis of the field of ecocriticism with an investigation into the ways in which ecological principles manifest within sound as a medium and listening as a means of engagement. This will then be used to develop a new ecocritical framework specifically designed for sound art, which will be employed to conduct ecocritical listenings to a selection of canonical and contemporary sound works. To address the curatorial gap, meanwhile, a new genre of ‘ecological sound art’ will be proposed, with a second set of ecocritical listenings focused upon a selection of ecological sound works in order to determine the precise nature of their ecological engagement, and to develop both a comprehensive definition and an initial catalogue of works for this important and timely contemporary movement.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Organised Sound, 2017

The years since the turn of the millennium have seen an increasing number of sound artists engagi... more The years since the turn of the millennium have seen an increasing number of sound artists engaging with contemporary environmental issues such as biodiversity loss, sustainability and climate change through their work, forming a growing movement of environmentally concerned sound art; however, their work has yet to achieve the recognition enjoyed by comparable environmentalist practices in almost every other art form. This article argues that this increasingly significant area of sound arts practice should be recognised as a distinct field in its own right, and proposes that it be termed ‘ecological sound art’, reflecting its equivalent in the visual arts. After establishing its current absence from both ecocritical and sound arts scholarship, it proceeds to outline some of the core approaches which characterise works of ecological sound art, as the first step towards its establishment as a coherent field of practice. The final section draws from key works of contemporary ecological theory, examining the fundamental accord that exists between the new modes of thought they propose and the ways in which we experience and relate to sound art, demonstrating that ecological sound art represents not only a significant new field of sound arts practice, but also a powerful ecological art form.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Musicological Annual, 2016

In recent years, a number of sound artists have begun engaging with ecological issues through the... more In recent years, a number of sound artists have begun engaging with ecological issues through their work, forming a growing movement of ˝ecological sound art˝. This paper traces its development, examines its influences, and provides examples of the artists whose work is currently defining this important and timely new field.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

The sounds of the natural world have served as a key source of musical inspiration for composers ... more The sounds of the natural world have served as a key source of musical inspiration for composers throughout history; and for the last century, recording technology has enabled the utilisation of the sounds themselves as compositional material. The use of recorded environmental sound in musical works has become common practice for composers working in a plethora of different styles and genres, employing a wide variety of techniques; however, a comprehensive analysis and comparison of these different approaches has yet to been undertaken.

Aside from technical and stylistic considerations, the other vitally important question for such an analysis regards what this use of natural environmental sound as compositional material means, both to composers and listeners. In today’s society it is the increasingly significant socio-political issue of global climate change which dominantes contemporary thought regarding humankind’s relationship to the environment; and it is therefore inevitable that the resonances of this will be felt in any work which takes the sounds of the natural environment as its subject. The task of achieving a properly contemporary musicological analysis of such works therefore demands that they be considered from an ecomusicological perspective, which focuses on their socio-cultural significance in the light of contemporary environmental concerns.

In undertaking this ecomusicological analysis, stylistic traits become less important than the specific ways in which the environmental sound is used, the role that it plays within the composition, and the meanings that it generates. This paper will therefore propose a new critical framework for works which use natural environmental sound as compositional material, addressing a significant gap in ecomusicological scholarship and facilitating a new understanding of a common compositional practice which takes into account its new meaning to the ecologically-focussed society of the 21st century.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Recent years have seen an exponential increase in the number of composers and sound artists direc... more Recent years have seen an exponential increase in the number of composers and sound artists directly responding to global environmental issues, such as biodiversity loss, pollution and climate change, through their creative practice. The philosophical concerns and practical methodologies of these composers and sound artists build on the established field of acoustic ecology, and the related genre of soundscape composition, but also venture well beyond them, setting them apart as a distinct new movement in music and sound art. However, as yet no new terminology has been found to define and describe this movement, either as an academic field of study or as an artistic genre.

Two composers who are at the forefront of this movement, David Monacchi and Matthew Burtner, have each independently adopted the term “ecoacoustic” in reference to their work: a term which this paper will propose as the most suitable to describe this contemporary movement of environmentally-concerned music and sound art. Although some significant differences exist between the artistic philosophies and creative practices of the two composers – which also, therefore, inevitably carry through into differences between their uses of the term – it will be argued that the similarities between them are significant enough for these differences to be regarded as variations upon a core set of principles and methodologies.

Through an investigation into what the term “ecoacoustic” means in the context of the work of Monacchi and Burtner, this paper will identify these core principles and methodologies, employing them as the basis for an initial “definition- in-progress” of ecoacoustic music and sound art. Finally, a selection of other composers and sound artists will be proposed whose work embodies the fundamental characteristics of this new field of “ecoacoustics”.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

The Bloomsbury Handbook of Sonic Methodologies, 2020

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Environmental Sound Artists: In Their Own Words, 2016

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact