Consisting of nine DC motors, nine perimeter trip alarms, wood logs, and custom electronics, S.O.S. is a sound artwork that is a commentary on the Athabasca tar sands sacrifice zone; S.O.S. sounds our reluctance to listen or act on the destructive extraction methods of the oil & gas industry. DC Motors churn out an S.O.S. morse code distress call; the movements of which never quite activate the attached perimeter trip alarms. The distress call goes unanswered, speeding up to an eventual fever pitch before dissolving into a metronomic rhythmic pattern. These rhythms connote glossy artifacts of our reliance on bitumen byproducts, all of which are distractions to the methods of the extractive industry that permanently alter the environment.
The 2024 work was installed in 510 Oak Street, Eugene, OR as part of a Center for Art Research exhibition series Embrace Fearlessly the Burning World, organized by curators-in-residence Ashley Stull Meyers and Aurora Tang and made possible by the University of Oregon Department of Art’s Center for Art Research and the Ford Family Foundation. Photos by Adam DeSorbo.
Sonic Solutions (2024) consist of working sound cannons made from PVC, metal, and wood. The two works are 4″-diameter PVC version (dimensions: 53” L x 24” W x 42” H) and 3″-diameter PVC version (dimensions: 43” L x 18” W x 36” H)
The sound cannons are a response to extractive industry practices that deploy sound cannons to deter migratory birds from landing on tailings ponds instead of changing their practices for healthy ecosystems. Sound is used as a blunt instrument, a weaponized force for controlling behaviors and habitats. Exhibition of works is April 5-21, 2024.
The documentation video shows the 4″ PVC version being fired using a denatured alcohol fuel.
The following is an imagined advertisement for the sound cannon targeting the extractive industry market.
photo by Adam DeSorbo photo by Adam DeSorbo photo by Adam DeSorbo
The Athabasca oil/tar sands in Canada are just one example of human-made sacrifice zones — a geographic area that has been permanently altered by environmental damage or economic disinvestment (Klein 2015). Over the years, tailings ponds in Fort McMurray, Canada have been a point of controversy for the oil extraction industry with the deaths of thousands of migratory birds, the ongoing risks to groundwater seepage, and the long-term impacts on Indigenous communities (He et al. 2024). Instead of changing practices for healthy ecosystems, oil companies now deploy air cannons to deter migratory birds from landing on tailings ponds. Consulting firms sculpt language to alter popular opinion. Sound is used as a blunt instrument, a weaponized force for controlling behaviors and habitats. Through silence and sound, I created four works that probe our relationship with the tar sands sacrifice zone — our reliance on oil & gas extraction and our reluctance to listen or act.
photo by Adam DeSorbo
StreamCorporate Narratives with your streaming service of choice.
Sacrifice Zones: Corporate Narratives, is one of the four installation works that explore how sound is used as a problematic “solution” to our destructive behaviors. Other works in the exhibition include a DIY air cannon, a set of DC motors pulling pins of shotgun primer trip alarms, and air cannon blast sound effects that interrupt the space at timed intervals over loudspeakers.
By using damaging sounds to cut over our manufactured din, we other the environment from our human recklessness, and slowly destroy ourselves in the process, one sonic blast at a time. Beyond the employment of air cannon blasts to “protect” wildlife, we use destructive sound levels elsewhere in extractive industries. Sonar pings in the ocean for exploration can reach 235dB, which is loud enough to kill a human and drive whales to beach themselves within a few miles (Scientific American; Discovery of Sounds in the Sea). How did we get to weaponizing sound for our extractive industries? Rather than listen carefully to sounds and their impacts on our habitats and the ecosystems we share, we outfit our human-made sound to meet the demands of an amplified world — loud sounds are ever increasing for oil exploration, military testing, and other raw material industries. Through imagined corporate ads, news story, and leaked memos, Sacrifice Zones: Corporate Narratives reviews a slice of oil & gas extraction — its processes and its policies.
I use commercial audio services (AI text to audio; royalty-free music) to deliver corporate-like deliverables that investigate the sacrifice zone in the Athabasca boreal region in Canada, known commonly known as Alberta’s tar sands.
The following is a track-by-track breakdown of Sacrifice Zones: Corporate Narratives
Syncrude Incorporated Promo
Syncrude Incorporated Promo is a satirically imagined ad for the real Syncrude Canada Ltd. company that runs mining operations in the Athabasca boreal region in Canada.“The mining and extraction process releases sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides, hydrocarbons, and fine particulate matter into the atmosphere.” (NASA). The company mines bitumen (petroleum) and uses tailings ponds to hold by-products of the extraction process (CAPP).
2009 News Story, 1600 Birds Killed in Syncrude Tailings Pond
An AI voice reads text from the 2009 CTV Calgary news story, where 1606 birds were killed in a Syncrude Limited tailings pond in Canada. The story continues to highlight the companies deployment of air cannons to protect wildlife from the company-created tailings ponds and the risks of seepage. The several hundred thousand dollar fine mentioned in the story omits a comparison of impact to Syncrude Canada’s $432 million dollar 2009 net profit.
To put this in perspective, “an $800,000 fine would represent income from less than half a day of production for Canadian Oilsands Trust” (Dyer 2010).
Air Cannon Test Fire A-1001
The interjection of air cannon fire interrupts the narrative. These air cannon blasts are original sound design effects.
The Sonic Solution Air Cannon Ad
Using text from air cannon websites, like the Sonic Sentinel, I created a corporate ad for selling an air cannon targeted toward oil and gas companies.
Air Cannon Test Fire B-316
The interjection of air cannon fire interrupts the narrative. These air cannon blasts are original sound design effects.
2002 Luntz Research Companies Report to Republicans
Frank Luntz is a corporate and political consultant. His company conducts field research to find “words that move people to act on an emotional level” (PBS 2003). These words are used “to help his clients sell their product or turn public opinion on an issue or a candidate” (ibid.).
In 2002, there was a leaked report of Luntz Research Companies to the U.S. Republican Party (his then clients) on how to talk about the climate in order to sway public opinion. The section of the report is called “The Environment: A Cleaner, Safer, Healthier America.” An AI voice reads the eight points in the report. All spoken text comes directly from the report.
Air Cannon Test Fire C-456
The interjection of air cannon fire interrupts the narrative. These air cannon blasts are original sound design effects.
1998 American Petroleum Institute’s Memo for Climate Deception
The Kyoto Protocol, known commonly as the Kyoto Treaty was adopted in 1997. The Kyoto Protocol set “binding emission reduction targets for 37 industrialized countries and economies in transition and the European Union” (UNFCCC). The American Petroleum Institute delivered a memo the following year that laid out a plan to reach the media, the public, and policy makers with a message emphasizing “uncertainties” in climate science (NYTimes 1998). The underlying goal was to keep the status quo for fossil fuel companies to continue extractive industry practices and profits by sowing uncertainty in a variety of sectors (education, science, media, public).
Klein, Naomi. This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. the Climate. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2014.
Megan He et al. Total organic carbon measurements reveal major gaps in petrochemical emissions reporting. Science 383, 426-432 (2024). DOI:10.1126/science.adj6233
“Envelope Follower to MIDI CC” is a Max/MSP patch and stand-alone application for converting audio files into MIDI CC messages in real-time. Just load an audio file, play it, and you’ll be sending MIDI CC data based upon the amplitude envelope of the audio file. You have controls over MIDI data scaling, sampling rate, audio playback speed, and strict playback duration for mapping projects.
The impetus for the tool comes from not being satisfied with available options to convert audio amplitude into MIDI data for Digital Audio Workstation mapping projects. As a teacher, I wanted to create a resource to enable student mapping that leverages their own digital tools.
I made the software available as a repository on github. You don’t need to Max/MSP to run; I made a basic stand-alone application as well and the link is included on github.
If you dig the free software, please listen, share, and follow my music on Spotify.
The creation of five sound sculptures centered around fire-affected areas of the 2020 Holiday Farm fire near Blue River, OR. The work was part of the Soundscapes of Socioecological Succession (SSS) project that was funded through a Center for Environmental Futures, Andrew W. Mellon 2021 Summer Faculty Research Award from the University of Oregon.
Over the summer, I produced five sound sculptures centered around fire-affected areas of the 2020 Holiday Farm fire. The work was part of the Soundscapes of Socioecological Succession (SSS) project that was funded through a Center for Environmental Futures, Andrew W. Mellon 2021 Summer Faculty Research Award from the University of Oregon.
Through field recording fieldwork, local wood sourcing, and custom electronic design, the five (5) sound sculpture prototypes were one way to generate a unique auditory experience aimed at the general public. The work was designed to unpack the sounds and scenes of wildfires in natural and human-systems and to document the regenerative succession of coupled social and ecological processes.
Video 1. Sound sculpture C prototype. Burnt cedar wood and audio sourced from fire affected area near Blue River, OR.
Socioecological systems emerge from interdependent processes through which people and nature self-organize across space and time (Gunderson and Holling, 2002). STEM-centric studies of socioecological dynamics miss literal and metaphorical connections between people and nature, which are difficult to quantify and to communicate. To address this limitation, the sound sculptures test a new approach to capture SSS as a qualitative record of collective response to catastrophic wildfire.
Like a slice of tree ring that marks age and time, the field recordings of audio in visits to fire-affected areas connotes a slice of succession activities. Sound recordings of the area are meant to capture multiple scenes and ecological voices, filtered through a raw material from the sites themselves.
Video 2. Sound sculpture D prototype. Wood and audio sourced from fire affected area near Blue River, OR.
Our sonic environment is polluted by man both in its content and its reflections. This is certainly true even for field recordists who venture further and further into the wild to break free from the noise pollution of a passing airplane, a highway’s din, or even audible underground activity such as fracking (One Square Inch, 2021). Treating site-specific wood as an acoustic resonator — a filter that distorts as much as it renders sound audible — casts a shadow onto the sounds it projects. The physical material acts as a filter upon the sound. The wood slightly changes the spectrum of sound by boosting or cutting the amount of different frequencies in the sound.
Our University of Oregon team expanded previous research by sampling the rich SSS at fire-affected sites, including soundscape field recordings, recorded interviews, and collecting “hazard tree” waste material. These materials offer a document of the resiliency of the landscape and illustrate how forest disturbance can set back human-defined sustainable development goals regionally. The development of the five sound sculptures are just one means to inform the public and inspire collective action towards sustainable futures.
Video 3. Sound sculpture E prototype. Wood and audio sourced from fire-affected area near Blue River, OR.
Audio field recordings were captured during two site visits to fire-affected areas on June 16, 2021 and July 2, 2021. The second visit was to H.J. Andrews forest and an interview and tour with Mark Schulze (H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest Director) Bailey Hilgren and I used a few field recording setups, and which mostly consisted of Bailey recording with a Zoom H6 using on-board mics and I recording with a Sound Devices 633 field mixer and three mics: Sennheiser MKH 30-P48 and MKH 50-P48 microphone in mid-side configuration and a LOM Uši Pro omnidirectional microphone. The Zoom recordings were captured at 96k-24bit, and the 633 recordings were captured at 192k-24bit. During the second visit, we were able to setup “tree ears” that consisted of two Uši Pro mics taped to a tree and a LOM Geofón low frequency microphone, and which we left recording for several hours in the H.J. Andrews forest (see Figure 2). Bailey organized all the audio recordings using the Universal Category System (UCS). The system is a public domain initiative for the classification of sound effects. While we chose not to make the 30+GB of audio files as a publicly available archive, we have made the audio categorization spreadsheet publicly available (SSS metadata spreadsheet).
Figure 1. Field recording setup at fire affected site.
Figure 2. “Tree ear” field recording configuration.
During the technical design phase, some secondary research questions were asked. Which audio exciter/transducers work best on non-flat, raw wood surfaces? Which exciters are the most cost-effective solution for an array of speakers?For fabrication of installing wood as pieces on a wall, can I cost-effectively source sturdier materials than aluminum posts?
Figure 3. Sound sculpture prototypes depicting standoffs and speakers.
I tested a few different models: waterproof transducer, round and square exciters, and distributed mode loudspeakers. I also tested different speaker formats: 10W 8ohm, 20W 4ohm, and 20W 8ohm. Unfortunately, the desired power outputs, 25-30W, models of exciters were consistently sold out throughout the project, therefore I was unable to equally distribute testing across similar power outputs. From experience more than a scientific A/B test, I found that the more flexible options for attaching to wood surfaces were the Dayton Audio DAEX25Q-4 Quad Feet 25mm and the Dayton Audio DAEX32SQ-8 Square Frame 32mm Exciter, 10W 8 Ohm. Generally, I realized that in order to get decent output in both frequency response and gain, the low-end of $15-20/transducer seems about right. I do not recommend anything below 10W for this type of work. Getting a stereo image was not important and would be difficult given the size of wooden pieces. I valued volume and minimizing visual distraction, so speakers were meant to be placed behind or under the sculptures. I doubled speakers whenever I used 10W drivers.
Figure 4. Recording log loader moving hazard tree material
Audio 1. Log loader field recording (see Figure 4)
For standoffs, I sourced variable size stainless steel standoff screws used in mounting glass hardware which worked extremely well on the river wood sound sculpture (Figure 5).
Figure 5. Stainless steel standoffs, 10W 8ohm speakers, and custom electronics board on sound sculpture D prototype.
I sourced audio amplifiers on sale for under $10 each, where $15 is normal pricing. The TPA3116D2 2x50W Class D stereo amplifier boards have handled well on previous projects, and finding them cheaply with the added volume control and power switch were a great addition for fine-tuning amplification in public spaces.
Normally powering the amplifiers and audio boards is where the real cost comes in, and I was happy to learn that Sparkfun’s Redbaord Arduino’s can now handle upwards of 15VDC, so I went with their MP3 Player Shield and Redboard UNO in order to split VDC power between the amplifier and board (12V, 2A power supplies were adequate for the project and transducer wattage).
Figure 6. Custom electronics board consisting of MP3 player shield, Arduino UNO Redboard, 2x50W class D amplifier, and power split for up to 15VDC.
Figure 7. Recording site near Eagle Rock along the McKenzie River.
I modified the outdated MP3 player code on Arduino to dynamically handle any number of tracks and named audio files, such that one doesn’t need to rename audio files in the convention “track001.mp3” “track002.mp3”.Whatever audio files are uploaded onto the SD cards, the filenames simply need to be placed into an array at the top of the code uploaded to the board. Thus, when powered on, the sound sculpture will play an endless loop of the uploaded audio files found on the SD card.
***For those interested in the Arduino code running on the MP3 players, I have made the code publicly accessible as a repository on Github.
Figure 8. Full electronics module example: 12V 2A power supply, MP3 player shield, Sparkfun Redboard Arduino, TDA 2x50W stereo amplifier, single 10W exciter.
Video 4. Sound sculpture A prototype. Wood and audio sourced from fire-affected area near Blue River, OR.
Selecting the audio for sound sculptures came through discussions with Bailey around ecological succession, the interviews conducted, and the types of audio that was captured and categorized. We chose four audio bins (categories) to work with: animals, soundscape or ambient, logging or construction, and scientific or interviews. Again, Bailey created a categorical spreadsheet of audio files within these four bins.
Video 5. Sound sculpture A prototype. Wood and audio sourced from fire-affected area near Blue River, OR.
Constructing the sound sculptures involved imagining public space and the materials. There are two pieces for wall, one for hanging, one for a pedestal, and one for the ground. The sculptures are stand alone pieces that simply require AC power for showing. See below for a gallery of stills of these works.
CONCLUSION
By activating sourced raw materials (e.g., “hazard tree” wood) with acoustic signals stemming from local sites, the sound sculptures amplify the regional and collective voice of wildfire succession even as it outputs a modified version of the input sound.
The process of developing sound sculptures led to additional ideas for iteration or for incorporating the sculptures within a larger-scale project. For example, in our interviews with Ines Moran and Mark Schulze, we found out about “acoustic loggers,” battery operated, weather-proof audio field recorders that record audio based upon a timer. We ordered one such acoustic logger for the project, an Audio Moth; however, the Audio Moth order did not arrive after the completion of the project. Working these into the project through sampling fire-affected sites would create a unique dataset.
The sound sculptures can be stand-alone works. We appreciated the modular approach to the design, and we could continue the modular approach or tether sound objects together. Future work could involve spatializing audio across multiple sculptures similar to previous sound artwork, like Wildfire and Awash.
For the sound sculptures themselves, there is gain control on speaker-level but not on the line output of the players. We could add buttons for increasing/decreasing volume on the MP3 boards to better manage levels, and if we want to provide an interactive component to the works, we could buttons for cycling through tracks on sound sculptures.
Listening to our environment is essential. In 2015, The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) formed a “Charter for Sound” to emphasize sound as a critical signifier in environmental health (LeMuet, 2017). By continuing to incorporate sonic practices (bioacoustics, sound art, field recording) into our work with the environment, we create more pathways to experiencing and understanding the planet we live on.
References / Resources
Gunderson, L.H., Holling, C.S., 2002. Panarchy: Understanding Transformations in Human and Natural Systems, Panarchy understanding transformations in human and natural systems. Island Press. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2004.01.010
The sound sculptures were made possible through a 2021 Center for Environmental Futures Andrew W. Mellon Summer Faculty Research Award in collaboration with Lucas Silva (ENVS).
A shout out to Thomas Rex Beverly from whom I got the idea about recording using the “tree ears” configuration.
The sonic impact of radio on the Americana landscape is profound. Fireside chats, Radio theatre, Payola, DJs, drive-ins, elevator Musak, waiting room noise––the vast consumerism and reach of radio continues to this day. Yet, what happens when we smash two artists (Kenny G and Nickelback) together into one spectral stretched fantasy using the transmission medium that gave life to their careers? Are we doomed to phase out our history with background noise? Or are we undulating with the beat of cultural reclamation and signification? Sending us adrift inside the electrical coils of the radio, Lying in Fireflies Besides Brown Curls and other original compositions attempt to recount a personal connection to memory, lust, and the power of radio to receive a new transmission.
Relay of Memory was exhibited at the Edith Langley Barrett Art Gallery, Utica, NY. The exhibition was supported by funds from the Oregon Arts Commission.
Chromatic Shift is an audio plugin (AU and VST3) that uses three interpolating delays to pitch shift audio.
The range of the plugin is two octaves below and two octaves above the original audio.
A window delay (5ms to 50ms set outside playback) changes audio quality at more extreme settings. Default is 20ms.
Chromatic Shift was built using the JUCE Framework (C++).
Wildfire is a 48-foot long speaker array that plays back a wave of fire sounds across its 48-foot span at speeds of actual wildfires. The sound art installation strives to have viewers embody the devastating spread of wildfires through an auditory experience.
The work was installed at the Edith Langley Barrett Art Gallery in Utica, New York. The work ran Sept. 19 – Dec. 8, 2019 as part of a solo art exhibition entitled, “Impact! works by Jon Bellona.” Wildfire was part of SPRING/BREAK Art Show in NYC March 3 – 9, 2020 curated by Megan C. Austin and Ashlie Flood.
Wildfire was made possible through the University of Oregon Center for Environmental Futures and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The Impact! exhibition was supported by funds from the Oregon Arts Commission. Additional support made possible from the Edith Langley Barrett Art Gallery.
Public Final Report for University of Oregon Center for Environmental Futures.
I mixed-down the forty-eight foot, 16-channel work into stereo (2-channel). An embedded Spotify player is below, but the stereo version may be found on Apple, Amazon, YouTube or wherever you stream music.
The exhibition is organized by the Barrett Art Gallery at Utica College. The exhibition is supported by funds from the Oregon Arts Commission. The Edith Langley Barrett Art Gallery programs are made possible with support from the Utica College School of Arts and Sciences and private contributions.
Media File Reported to Oregon Arts Commission (2019)
