WFAE Up Front News
Welcome
WFAE Board Report
WFAE Affiliate News
Welcome!
This is the sixth edition of the monthly online supplement to Soundscape:The Journal of Acoustic Ecology. Our goal is to make available in a timely manner, a calendar of events, announcements and latest news from the WFAE Board, WFAE Affiliates, and other organizations related to the field of acoustic ecology.
The success of this newsletter is dependent upon contributions by WFAE affiliate organizations, members, and others in the field of acoustic-ecology. See the Contributions section on how to submit material to this newsletter.
Deadline for the January Edition: December 20, 2004.
WFAE Board Report
Nigel Frayne re-elected chair of the WFAE Board. When the Australian Forum for Acoustic Ecology (AFAE) recently elected a new slate of officers, Lawrence Harvey replace Nigel Frayne as the AFAE board representative. Nigel, who had been WFAE Board chair, was no longer a member of the governing body. A motion to retain Nigel as board chair was made by Albert Mayer of the FKL and seconded by CASE representative Andra McCartney.
The WFAE Board conducted an online vote and all seven members unanimously elected Nigel Frayne as a non-voting member and Chair of the WFAE.
During the voting process many words of praise were extended to Nigel for his outstanding contributions to the growth and development of the World Forum for Acoustic Ecology. Among theses were:
"Kudos to Nigel for his continued commitment!" Jim Cummings (ASAE)
"I give my vote to support Nigel in continuing his excellent work as WFAE Chair." Gregg Wagstaff (UKISC)
"... many thanks, Nigel, for the impressive amount of work you have managed to put into WFAE's affairs." Albert Mayer (FKL)
".. thank you Nigel for your tremendous energy and organizational capabilities." Simo Alitalo (FSAE)
"The AFAE supports Nigel's continuing in the position of chair, and gratefully acknowledges his extraordinary contribution in this role." Lawrence Harvey (AFAE)
"His contribution to this organisation is profound and I would like to join Hildi and Albert in thanking him for that contribution." Andra McCartney (CASE)
Nigel has accepted the board's request to remain as chair and will continue to work with the Affiliates in facilitating the growth and development of the WFAE.
WFAE Endorses two International Events. The WFAE Board has endorsed two events in 2005. These include:
Soundscape Conference
April 22-24, 2005
Potsdam, Germany
International Congress on Sound and Vibration
July 10-14, 2005
Lisbon, Portugal
For more information check out the Events Section of this newsletter.
The EarthEar audio disc catalog is now offering a 10% discount to all WFAE members. Just enter the coupon code "WFAE" on the first page of the shopping cart. International orders: please remember to use the drop-down menu to select proper shipping charge.
WFAE Affiliate News
Contributions: News from Affiliate organizations is do on the 20th of each month.
ASAE: The New Mexico chapter of the ASAE, in collaboration with the College of Santa Fe Contemporary Music Program, continues with its Acoustic Ecology Fall Lecture Series at CSF. In October, David Dunn shared his new work recording on the edges of the audible, including ultrasonics and inside prairie dog towns and pinon pines. David has invented several low-cost, high performance mic systems specially designed to be effective collectors of sound in difficult and unusual environments. His work-in-progress, "In Air, In Water, In Earth, In Trees", includes instructions for making a probe mic (using a meat thermometer as its foundation), a small piezo mic for use in cramped places, and an innovative omnidirectional ultrasonic mic (this one is the expensive one: maybe as much as $100!). The book also will include 4 hours of high-quality MP3s.
In November, Steve Feld regaled our largest audience yet, 75 people, with his tales of recording birds in the rainforests of Papua New Guinea, and bells in the villages and cities of Europe. He has been fascinated by the unexpected similarities he's found, as bells and birds both act as sonic markers of time: daily time, seasonal time, sacred time. His work also continues to explore the ways that sound reveals and fills physical spaces,
with both the close nature of rainforest sound and the expansive valley- and city square-filling nature of bells reflecting this theme. The second volume of his Time of Bells series has just been released; it focuses more on city bells, while the first volume was centered in villages. Both volumes include animal bells, church bells and music, and festival bells and music.
ASAE: The New York chapter of the ASAE is participating in an event being produced by the Electronic Music Foundation next spring (dates not yet known) that will bring together a number of ideas on Acoustic Ecology. Details are still sketchy, although Hildegard Westerkamp and others are involved. The New York chapter will be introducing a new project, called NYC Soundmap, and hopefully coordinating some panel discussions and soundwalks. See EMF website: http://www.emf10.org/environment/index.html
ASAE: Southern California Area. A call for those in Southern California interested in attending a meeting to discuss the formation of a Southern California Chapter of ASAE has been made by Glenn Bach, coordinator. The group will be looking at organizing a performing ensemble of musicians and composers who work with field recordings.
Saturday, December 4, 2004
12:00 noon
Portfolio Coffeehouse
2300 East 4th Street (at Junipero) Long Beach, California 90814
Contact Glenn Bach gbach@csulb.edu for more information.
UKISC: The editors of Ear Shot, the UKISC's membership publication are calling for contributions on the theme of "Noise: Debates, Strategies and Methodologies".
Within the current milieu of the European Commission's noise mapping directive and the Greater London Authority's Ambient Noise Strategy, Ear Shot welcomes contributions from those of you that have been or are currently engaged in soundscape and/or noise studies within the UK and Ireland. We are interested to hear about your objectives, methodologies and findings.
Moreover we are interested in the prevailing culture and health debate surrounding noise abatement, and the addition of noise issues to, for example, the estate agent's and tourist industry's agenda.
As the built environment often defines and/or modulates our sonic environment, how are issues of sound and noise design being addressed in architectural/urban planning practitioner's education?
Not only would we like to hear from environmental and urban studies but would also encourage contributions that have explored alternative approaches, such as community arts, direct action or culture jamming. Finally, we welcome contributions to the Members' Activities and Comments pages. The deadline for submissions is 31st January 2005. Submission guidelines, proposals and correspondence should be e-mailed to j.drever@gold.ac.uk
UKISC: We invite listeners in the UK and Ireland to submit audio recordings of endangered sounds that are special to you, your community or your locality. For example, an endangered sound might be associated with a cultural event or a natural habitat that is declining or under threat.
The recordings should not exceed 5 minutes and should be submitted on an audio CD. Please ensure that you hold all rights to the material.
Please include your name, the location of the sound, the date and time of the recording and accompanying notes (250 words max.) describing the physical environment, why it is of value to you and what are the reasons for the sound becoming endangered. The deadline for submissions is 31st January 2005.
Please send submissions to:
Earshot Submissions
c/o Dr John Levack Drever
Music Department, Goldsmiths College,
University of London, New Cross, SE14 6NW, London, ENGLAND
Introducing Your WFAE Board: The WFAE Board is composed of an elected representative from each of the seven international affiliate organizations. Over the coming months we will introduce readers to the elected officers of the WFAE.
Photo by Gregg Wagstaff
The Japanese Association for Sound Ecology (JASE) WFAE Board Representative is Keiko Torigoe.
Keiko Torigoe is a musicologist and soundscape researcher, participating in various projects which relate to the field of environmental design, conservation, and education as well as community art. She is currently a professor at the University of the Sacred Heart in Tokyo.
Keiko majored in musicology at Tokyo University of Fine Arts and Music. During her undergraduate years, she was searching for a new theory or concept which covers Japanese or Asian sound cultures as well as western “music”. Through a Japanese translation of Schafer’s article, Music of the Environment, she became aware of the concept of "soundscape" and its advocate, Murray Schafer.
In 1979, Keiko participated in Murray Shafer's intensive workshop held at Concordia University in Montreal. After writing her graduation thesis, A Study of Murray Schafer, in1980, she received a Canadian Government Scholarship and studied at York University in Toronto. While living in Toronto, she sometimes visited Vancouver in order to do her fieldwork on the World Soundscape Project and interviewed many of the original members of the World Soundscape Project including Hildegard Westerkamp. After completing her master thesis at York, A Study of the World Soundscape Project, she went back to Japan.
After finishing her study at Graduate School of Tokyo University of Fine Arts and Music in 1984, she organized a research group, Kanda Soundscape Project, in order to start her own fieldwork in an area of Tokyo with her colleagues and the local residents of Kanda area. In a few years, she also founded Soundscape Institute of Tokyo, together with Taiko Shono and Naoko Tanaka, and participated in various projects, which vary from environmental design and educational projects to soundscape research projects.
In 1991, Keiko began her academic career at the University of the Sacred Heart in Tokyo. In 1992, she and others founded Soundscape Association of Japan (SAJ). She translated R. Murray Schafer’s The Tuning of the World in 1987 together with Hiroshi Ogawa, Taiko Shono, Naoko Tanaka and Yu Wakao. She also
translated his Sound Education in 1992 together with Tadahiko Imada and Yu Wakao. Keiko wrote her own book in Japanese, Soundscape – the thought and practices in 1997. Based on this book, she took a doctoral degree from Graduate School of Osaka University of Fine Arts and Music in 2001.
The major projects in which Keiko participated in the last 16 years are, Sound Planning of Nishi-Tsuruya Bridge in Yokohama City (l988), Planning of Sound Environment for Yokohama International Exhibition (l989), Oasis of Ears - Seven Playground Ear-Trumpets for Listening Environments? (1991), Design for the Garden of Rentaroh Taki Memorial House (l992), Sound Environmental Design for Tateyama Field Museum in Toyama (1995), Research on the Project of Preserving Soundscapes of Japan (1999-2004), Supervision of Environmental Art Project based on Sanukaito (A special local sounding stone) in Sunport in Takamatsu City (2004).
She also enjoys writing essays on soundscapes. Last year, she joined a Mini FM group, Radio 88, in her town and has started her own programme.
Last month Keiko, as a soundscape scholar. took the witness stand in a case against the construction of a highway tunnel through Mt. Takao near Tokyo.
Photograph: Keiko Torigoe was photographed in a private garden adjacent to Nanzenji Temple in Kyoto by Gregg Wagstaff (UKISC). Gregg was visiting Kyoto after his participation in the Kobe symposium.
WFAE Board Representatives:
