GMU:Winning natural habitats/Martha Steinmetz: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 07:19, 4 January 2025

Learning the Grammar of Animacy (inspired by Kimmerer)^[1]

''I come here to listen, to nestle in the curve of the roots in a soft hollow of pine needles, to lean my bones against the column of white pine, to turn off the voice in my head until I can hear the voices outside it: the 'shhh' of wind in needles, water trickling over rock, nuthatch tapping, chipmunks digging, beechnut falling, mosquito in my ear, and something more - something that is not me, for which we have no language , the wordless being of others in which we have no language, the wordless being of others in which we are never alone.

[...]

Listening in wild places, we are audience to conversations in a language not our own.

[...]

To name and describe you must first see, and science polishes the gift of seeing. I honour the strength of the language that has become a second tongue to me. But beneath the richness of its vocabulary and its descriptive power, something is missing, the same something that swells around you and in you when you listen to the world. Science can be a language of distance which reduces a being to its working parts; its a language of objects.''

Internal imagery and exploratory sketches^[2]

The following worksheets, I have created to help explore the soundscapes of our immediate environment.

Beginning with internal imagery and exploratory sketches, they aim to elevate listening to a new, visual dimension. Next, familiar language can be employed to reconnect with the soundscape in a customary way. Finally, we step beyond our comfort zone by inventing unique, personal words for the sounds we perceive, which can be freely arranged on the page.

I was inspired by Schafer's "A Sound Education: 100 Exercises in Listening and Sound-Making."

Exercise 1

Find a place where you can fully engage your senses— step outside your room if you’d like. Spend some time listening closely to the movement of sounds in your environment.

Create a visual representation of the soundscape around you. Use colors, shapes, and patterns to express the sounds—avoid using any words.

Exercise 2

Language as a reflection of your soundscape: Use several words to describe a sound from your environment (e.g., gurgling, splashing, bubbling, ...).

Exercise 3

Find onomatopoeic words for sounds like raindrops, streams, waterfalls, rivers, or ocean waves, for example: clasticy-shash, geeshian, retzensplats, gurglewoo, plittertonk, blibliboop, hwoosh, piddlip, splish, spankle-spickle, pli-pli...

Invent one unique onomatopoeic word for each sound you hear.

Closing questions may include:

What constitutes sound?
How do sound events emerge from elastic bodies?
How can sound be visualized?
What are the symbolic, aesthetic, and emotional depths of (in this case) flowing water?

↑ Robin Wall Kimmerer, The Democracy of Species
↑ R. Murray Schafer, A Sound Education: 100 Exercises in Listening and Sound-making

[1] Robin Wall Kimmerer, The Democracy of Species

[2] R. Murray Schafer, A Sound Education: 100 Exercises in Listening and Sound-making

[1]

[2]

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-==5 sentences on the idea==
+==Learning the Grammar of Animacy (inspired by Kimmerer)<ref>Robin Wall Kimmerer, The Democracy of Species</ref>==
-The goal of the project is to examine mosses microscopically and process them poetically. The examination will be documented visually in the Biolab (through microscopy). The exciting moment arises when the visual recordings are accompanied by self written texts. For this purpose, it is important to work not only aesthetically but also in terms of content and to document various states of the mosses (the dehydration process would be particularly interesting). Dehydration of Mosses: mirror dehydration of mosses + adapt the shown texts in speed, size and color, ... according to: #Dehydration typically leads to the loss of water from the plant cells, causing the moss to shrink and become dry and brittle. During dehydration, the metabolic activity of the moss slows down significantly, and the moss enters a state of dormancy or desiccation tolerance to conserve energy and survive harsh conditions. As the moss loses water, its tissues may contract, and its surface may appear wrinkled or shriveled. Dehydration can also cause the moss to change color, often becoming darker or more dull as water content decreases. Despite appearing lifeless when dehydrated, many moss species have adaptations that allow them to quickly rehydrate and resume metabolic activity once water becomes available again. This ability to enter a dormant state and revive when conditions are favorable is crucial for the survival of mosses in dry environments.#
+''<nowiki>''</nowiki>I come here to listen, to nestle in the curve of the roots in a soft hollow of pine needles, to lean my bones against the column of white pine, to turn off the voice in my head until I can hear the voices outside it: the 'shhh' of wind in needles, water trickling over rock, nuthatch tapping, chipmunks digging, beechnut falling, mosquito in my ear, and something more - something that is not me, for which we have no language , the wordless being of others in which we have no language, the wordless being of others in which we are never alone.''
-==5 sentences on tech solution==
+''[...]''
-Software: TouchDesigner Instruments + Objects: Biolab, Microscope, Camera, Mosses (various, but mainly collected at Park an der Ilm to keep the work local). Analogously and self written texts will be implemented and shown in sequences (programmes with LFOs) Presented via Projection; interactive (UI); to allow people to experience different states of the mosses (dehydration) changing simultaneously with varying texts. Lets face challenges. For example audio. :-)
-==A visual (or alternative) how you would imagine the project to be realised==
+''Listening in wild places, we are audience to conversations in a language not our own.''
-See example renderings and written stuff here https://www.marthasteinmetz.de/project/poems/0
-==references to artistic work, scientific references or similar==
+''[...]''
-* Sougwen Chung is an artist and researcher who focuses on the intersection of human and machine. She has created immersive installations that respond to sounds and often integrate elements of artificial intelligence and machine learning: https://sougwen.com/
-* Allison Kudla is an artist who specializes in bio and media art. Her work often explores the relationship between organisms and technology. She has created installations that explore the growth of mycelium and other organisms: http://allisonx.com/
+''To name and describe you must first see, and science polishes the gift of seeing. I honour the strength of the language that has become a second tongue to me. But beneath the richness of its vocabulary and its descriptive power, something is missing, the same something that swells around you and in you when you listen to the world. Science can be a language of distance which reduces a being to its working parts; its a language of objects.<nowiki>''</nowiki>''
-* Gathering Moss, A Natural and Cultural History of Mosses, https://osupress.oregonstate.edu/book/gathering-moss
+== '''Internal imagery and exploratory sketches'''<ref>R. Murray Schafer, A Sound Education: 100 Exercises in Listening and Sound-making</ref> ==
+'''The following worksheets, I have created to help explore the soundscapes of our immediate environment.'''
+'''Beginning with internal imagery and exploratory sketches, they aim to elevate listening to a new, visual dimension. Next, familiar language can be employed to reconnect with the soundscape in a customary way. Finally, we step beyond our comfort zone by inventing unique, personal words for the sounds we perceive, which can be freely arranged on the page.'''
+I was inspired by Schafer's "A Sound Education: 100 Exercises in Listening and Sound-Making."
+[[File:E1.1.jpg|left|frameless]]
+=== Exercise 1 ===
+Find a place where you can fully engage your senses— step outside your room if you’d like. Spend some time listening closely to the movement of sounds in your environment.
+Create '''a visual representation of the soundscape''' around you. Use colors, shapes, and patterns to express the sounds—avoid using any words.
+[[File:Ex1.2.jpg|left|frameless]]
+[[File:Ex1.3.jpg|left|frameless]]
+[[File:Ex2.1.jpg|left|frameless|[[File:Ex2.2.jpg|left|thumb]]]]
+=== Exercise 2 ===
+Language as a reflection of your soundscape: Use several words to describe a sound from your environment (e.g., gurgling, splashing, bubbling, ...).
+[[File:Ex3.2.jpg|left|frameless]]
+=== Exercise 3 ===
+Find onomatopoeic words for sounds like raindrops, streams, waterfalls, rivers, or ocean waves, for example: ''clasticy-shash, geeshian, retzensplats, gurglewoo, plittertonk, blibliboop, hwoosh, piddlip, splish, spankle-spickle, pli-pli...''
+Invent one unique onomatopoeic word for each sound you hear.
+=== Closing questions may include: ===
+* ''What constitutes sound?''
+* ''How do sound events emerge from elastic bodies?''
+* ''How can sound be visualized?''
+* ''What are the symbolic, aesthetic, and emotional depths of (in this case) flowing water?''