Earth Song
The presentation discusses Earth Song, an interactive 8-channel electroacoustic installation exploring the intersection of geological heritage and human touch to transform listening into a collective performance. Central to the work is the theme of interweaving participants and natural landscapes through sound. The installation consists of speakers covered with custom resonant paper filters that project a sonic environment derived from geophonic recordings. The low-frequency signals make the paper vibrate and rattle, generating acoustic phenomena such as beating intervals and combination tones that cause the paper to move—a physical materialisation of sound itself. Participants contribute directly to this live acoustic modulation by touching the paper and filtering the sound in real time.
Through this interaction, the speaker setup becomes a new ensemble instrument, shared by the group and guided by graphic scores drawn directly onto the paper filters. The setup is intuitive and accessible, enabling participants to engage with electronic sound within a chamber music setting. Ultimately, the Earth Song installation addresses themes of nature nostalgia in art and music, the ensemble as a temporary community, music as a medium of communication, and accessible graphic notation.
Dr Luc Vitk
Luc Vitk/Lucie Vítková is a Czech composer, improviser, and multidisciplinary performer whose practice spans accordion, drums, hichiriki, electronics, and movement. Their work focuses on sonification—the creation of music from abstract models of physical objects—while their improvisational practice focuses on the dialogue between sound, movement, and the characteristics of discrete spaces. Recently, Luc’s work has explored the sociopolitical dimensions of music in relation to everyday life and the environment, utilising waste materials to build sonic costumes and instruments. In their dissertation, Compositional Techniques of Christian Wolff and Social Aspects in Music (published in 2021), Luc has analysed the music of Christian Wolff, researching compositional techniques that change relationships between players to reform established hierarchies in music. After nine years of practising and studying in New York, they currently serve as a lecturer at the School of Music, Waipapa Taumata Rau/University of Auckland, NZ.
Photo courtesy of Will Chang
University of Auckland