SONIC EXPLORERS is a global organisation designed to engage young people in nature through sonic discoveries and technology. We support, promote and initiate creative projects that inspire environmental awareness, participation and engagement with young people across the world.
SONIC EXPLORERS focuses on facilitating workshops and expeditions revolving around acoustic ecology, field recording, bioacoustics and sonic art. Sonic Explorers is an affiliate organisation of Ear to the Earth, a worldwide network for environmental sound art based in New York City.
SONIC EXPLORERS focuses on facilitating workshops and expeditions revolving around acoustic ecology, field recording, bioacoustics and sonic art. Sonic Explorers is an affiliate organisation of Ear to the Earth, a worldwide network for environmental sound art based in New York City.
HISTORY OF SONIC EXPLORERS
The SONIC EXPLORERS project was commissioned for TreeLine 2012, an innovative green art event on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia. Conceived and directed by Dr Leah Barclay, SONIC EXPLORERS revolves around the creative possibilities of acoustic ecology and soundscape ecology, an evolving field of biology where scientists record a given habitat and listen for patterns and changes. The initial project involved workshops, collaborative compositions, sound mapping and the TREE SONGS installation all aimed towards connecting young people to the environment through sound.
In our current climate crisis, there is an urgent need to listen to the environment. Encouraging young people to engage in the practice of listening through creative technology is one of the most immediate and effective remedies to facilitate a stronger understanding of humanities impact on the natural world. Participants in the sonic explorers project gain first hand experience in innovative creative technologies and are guaranteed to tread lighter with open ears and a new understanding of the environment.
In our current climate crisis, there is an urgent need to listen to the environment. Encouraging young people to engage in the practice of listening through creative technology is one of the most immediate and effective remedies to facilitate a stronger understanding of humanities impact on the natural world. Participants in the sonic explorers project gain first hand experience in innovative creative technologies and are guaranteed to tread lighter with open ears and a new understanding of the environment.
ABOUT LEAH BARCLAY
Dr. Leah Barclay is an Australian composer, sound artist and creative producer working at the intersection of art, science and technology. Her work has been commissioned, performed and exhibited to wide acclaim across Australia, New Zealand, Canada, USA, Europe, India, South Africa, China and Korea. She has been the recipient of numerous awards and has directed and curated intercultural projects across the Asia-Pacific. She creates complex sonic environments and transmedia experiences that draw attention to social issues including climate change. These works are realised through immersive performances and multi-sensory installations drawing on environmental field recordings, data sonification, multi-channel sound diffusion, live performers and ephemeral projections. Her work is multi-platform in nature and often involves rich community engagement programs and accessible virtual outcomes embedded in each project.
Barclay’s PhD involved site-specific projects across the globe and a feature length documentary exploring the value of creativity in environmental crisis. Her research has been published internationally and her creative work has been selected for major international festivals and conferences. She is currently an artist in residence at the Australian Rivers Institute investigating the creative possibilities of aquatic bioacoustics, the president of theAustralian Forum for Acoustic Ecology and the founder and artistic director of Biosphere Soundscapes, a large-scale interdisciplinary art project connecting the soundscapes of UNESCO Biosphere Reserves across the world.
www.leahbarclay.com
Barclay’s PhD involved site-specific projects across the globe and a feature length documentary exploring the value of creativity in environmental crisis. Her research has been published internationally and her creative work has been selected for major international festivals and conferences. She is currently an artist in residence at the Australian Rivers Institute investigating the creative possibilities of aquatic bioacoustics, the president of theAustralian Forum for Acoustic Ecology and the founder and artistic director of Biosphere Soundscapes, a large-scale interdisciplinary art project connecting the soundscapes of UNESCO Biosphere Reserves across the world.
www.leahbarclay.com
ABOUT TREELINE
TreeLine is a community green art event that helps children draw the connection between them as the earth's inhabitants and their impact on our planet. TreeLine was born in 2010 from the desire to celebrate trees, their stories and their important place in our communities. Guided by local and visiting innovative artists, children explore issues of climate change, population pressures and human impact. Together they find ways to celebrate our relationship with trees, acknowledge the eco-services they provide and explore the sense of time and history trees create in the landscape.
www.treeline.org.au
www.treeline.org.au