Earth Song
This presentation discusses Earth Song, an interactive 8-channel electroacoustic installation exploring the intersection of geological heritage and human touch, transforming listening into a collective performance. Central to the work is the interweaving of 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. Low-frequency signals cause the paper to vibrate and rattle, generating acoustic phenomena such as beating intervals and combination tones and creating a physical materialisation of sound. 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 shared ensemble instrument, 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. The presentation reflects on the development of Earth Song and its exploration 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, utilizing 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 analyzed 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.
Photo courtesy of Will Chang
University of Auckland