INITIAL IDEA

I propose a practice-based experimentation into ‘exploring a methodology to collaborate with more-than-human sounds’. Based off my written dissertation, I want to explore through the means of physical practice the ways in which we can collaborate sonically with more-than-human sounds. As an environmental field recordist myself, I set out to investigate whether or not this practice is sustainable, morally just and ethical. I need to breakdown the practice to release if my morals stand with its. Currently I don’t believe this practice to be in tune with my ethos – so how can I make it? 

My initial idea starts with the moment before we press play. What is that habitual practice we all do to accustom ourselves to the space? Are we collaborating or are we just extracting? I set out, through practice-based research to explore different types of methodologies in order to collaborate ethically and responsibly with more-than-human sounds.

 For reference – when I say ‘more-than-human’ I am referring to a term coined by the philosopher and ecologist David Abrams. This term substitutes what we would normally refer to as ‘nature’ or ‘environment’. By using more-than-human we place both ‘human’ and ‘nonhuman’ participants on the same level. In order to be in collaboration with more- than- human we must firstly address the terminology. Throughout these blog posts I shall try to write in an ethical manner when describing experiences and thoughts about the more-than-human world. When I speak about recording, I shall not use the words ‘take’ and ‘capture’. Instead, you will see me using words such as arose, transpired, emerged, materialised and surfaced. I use this different ‘sonic dictionary’, as the first step in collaboration is understanding how to communicate and describe your fellow participant. I use the word ‘participant’ for both human and more-than-human collaborators, to realise that we are of equal collaboration in this process.

Throughout this exploration I will refence and trial the methodologies created by Pauline Oliveros and in Sandra Ingerman and Llyn Roberts book ‘speaking with nature (2015)’. I will also take inspiration from Robert McFarlane’s books referencing his understanding of walking and animate beings. I take reference from authors such as Olivia Sprinkels book ‘To Hear the Trees Speak (2025)’ and Glennie Kindred’s books ‘Walking with trees(2019)’, ‘The Sacred Tree(2003)’, and ‘The Tree Ogham’, where I shall not only refence her knowledge in my own methodology but trial and experiment with pagan understandings of how to communicate with the more-than-human in her books.

I will be documenting not only my progress and experiments but the experiences of the above writers’ own methodologies in order to understand the ways in which these writers’ and artists communicated with more-than-human beings. 

The main factors that I would like to experience throughout these blog post are sound and silence, shamanic and the divine feminine, the act of walking, and the process of listening.

I come to this methodology with an emphasis of shamanic and pagan understandings of our relationship to all things more-than-human. I come with an open heart and open ears. I will focus on a collective collaborative approach to exploring this methodology.

At the end of this exploration, I want to have set out certain parameters for a methodology. Whilst focusing on both physical practice-based research and written. My aim is to produce a written ‘ceremony’ that can be apply to environmental sound art practitioners before they press play.

When we talk about collaborating with a human partner, we already have a set way of understanding what will happen, but because these more than human beings don’t speak the same tongue we do, should we adapt the way we think about collaboration? We can’t apply a humanist way of thinking when collaborating with something that inherently isn’t human or more-than-human. This idea can become a complete loop hole, as in ways, I have to think from human knowledge because that is my tongue, but hopefully these writers can elaborate to me the ways in which other cultures communicate, collaborate and understand the more-than-human. Firstly, in my practice I want to apply the same rules about collaboration that I would to a human to see if it even can work. For example, when collaborating I think that you would go through these methods; meeting, greeting, communicating, understanding, realising and creating.

Throughout these blog posts I am going investigate methods and practice within my tool kit. My tool kit consists of ; walking, silence and speaking to the more-than human through pagan and shamanic knowledge. As this methodology is about everything before we press play the amount of sonic information throughout the blog post will be very varied. I try not to record as the whole point of these exercises is to understand everything before the recording process. Instead of using sonic material, I use writing as my tool. Throughout each blog post if an artist is relevant, I will write a series of ethnographies to detail my experiences.

Before I realised that I wanted to explore ways in which to collaborate with more-than-human sounds these were some of my initial ideas to explore: