The Absent Listener - Composing from Continuous Soundscape Recordings

Abstract

The Absent Listener is a series of pieces derived exclusively from continuous soundscape recordings made at the author’s home in Northern Ontario Canada. 

The recordings are made continuously and unsupervised. The recording process is done in this way so that the presence of the recordist has as little influence as possible on the behaviour of people, animals and insects while the recordings are taking place.

Pieces made in the series are discussed. They include two long-form soundscape works for fixed media, an online installation that generates fixed media compositions according to listener specifications and a new fixed media composition that compresses dawn recordings made over an entire year at the project location.