Tag Archives: Noosa River

Awards, Events

2016 Art Music Awards

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Leah Barclay’s WIRA River Listening from Floating Land 2015 Nominated for the 2016 APRA Art Music Awards 

(Article published in the Noosa News on 26/07/2016)

ArtMusicAwards

The finalists for the 2016 Art Music Awards have been announced. The yearly Art Music Awards are presented by the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) and the Australian Music Centre to recognise achievement in the composition, performance, education and presentation of Australian music. From jazz compositions and large-scale symphonic pieces to vocal, chamber and instrumental works and experimental projects, the list of finalists in 11 Award categories reflects the diversity and the high quality of contemporary art music written, composed and performed in 2015.

Leah Barclay’s WIRA River Listening project created on the Noosa River for Floating Land 2015 has been nominated for the Award for Excellence in Experimental Music. This project explored rivers as the lifeblood of communities and reimagined the world beneath the surface of the Noosa River. This project draws on ten years of experimental music collaborations with river systems across the world that all began in Noosa and was the first major creative outcome from Leah Barclay’s Synapse Residency supported by the Australian Network for Art and Technology. 

WIRA was experienced by walking along the river with a smart phone and listening to content that was geotagged from Noosa Regional Gallery to the river mouth. As you walk along the riverbank, the sounds of the Noosa River system are layered with Leah Barclay’s compositions inspired by Noosa over the last decade.

The soundscapes of WIRA explored the value of sound and technology in contributing towards environmental awareness and engagement. The process of creating this installation explored a new model for the dissemination of experimental music through accessible mobile applications and community engagement. Since launching in Noosa, the River Listening installation has toured to New York for Climate Week 2015, Federation Square in Melbourne, the inaugural World Science Festival in Australia and Paris for COP21, considered the most important climate meeting of our time. The installation continues to expand across the world yet remains connected to Noosa. 

‘In late 2004, I composed my first piece inspired by the Noosa River. This was the beginning of a decade of creative work that explores the value of sound, digital technology and community engagement in environmental awareness. I have been fortunate to work with rivers across the globe and my artist practice has been very influenced by my involvement in Floating Land and working in Noosa. While many consider the mobile technologies I am using in WIRA key factors in our disconnection to the environment, my current work explores the possibilities for repurposing these technologies to reconnect us to the environment and facilitate collaborations that showcase ecological systems through accessible creative technology. WIRA allows you to hear sounds you wouldn’t usually think about and the project is part of a large initiative exploring the art and science of listening to rivers’ said Leah. 

‘The people included in these lists, and indeed across all the nominations lodged, represent our champions, and those who champion our champions. The names of those established and emerging, in cities and in regional areas, show that we have much to celebrate in the Australian art music sector’, said the AMC’s CEO John Davis.

The 2016 Art Music Awards will be presented at the Plaza Ballroom in Melbourne on Tuesday 16 August, hosted by Jonathan Biggins and with a live performance program curated by Gabriella Smart.

APRA AMCOS and the AMC would like to extend congratulations to all of the finalists for the 2016 Art Music Awards – the only event of its kind in Australia to recognise the works that are brought to life by dedicated musicians, individuals, educators and arts organisations all over the country.

Events, Noosa River

WIRA: Floating Land 2015

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WIRA sound installation on Noosa River
WIRA sound installation on Noosa River

WIRA is an interactive sound installation that reimagines the world beneath the surface of the Noosa River for Floating Land 2015 at the Noosa Regional Gallery in Queensland, Australia. The installation opens on August 27 and runs until October 18.

WIRA reimagines the Noosa River in sound. The installation can be experienced by walking along the river with a smart phone and listening to content that is geotagged from Noosa Regional Gallery to the river mouth. As you walk along the river bank, the sounds of the Noosa River system are layered with sonic art, stories and soundscapes from Floating Land over the last ten years.

The theme of Floating Land 2015 is Reflect & Re-imagine. This theme provides an opportunity to pause and reconnect with the grassroots beginnings of this event, exploring the connection between art, the environment and the local community. Now in its 8th iteration Floating Land, an international event celebrating art and the environment. In 2015 Floating Land will celebrate artworks, artists and locations involved in previous Floating Land events.

recho-logo

To experience WIRA download the free app Recho to your iPhone or iPad and start outside Noosa Regional Gallery (maps are available inside the gallery). The installation is best experienced wearing headphones. Those without access to a smart phone can listen to the soundscapes inside Noosa Regional Gallery.

Visit www.leahbarclay.com/wira for further information.

Brisbane River, Mary River, Noosa River, Workshops

Snapping Shrimp

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snapping-shrimp

The database of hydrophone recordings from the initial Listening Labs on Noosa River, Brisbane River and Mary River feature extensive recordings of snapping shrimp, one of the most common aquatic sounds captured by hydrophones. While I have been recording snapping shrimp for a number of years, I’m always intrigued to see the reactions when people hear the sounds of shrimp for the first time. Many of the workshop participants find it hard to believe a tiny creature can create such an intense sound.

Snapping Shrimp, also know as Pistol shrimp or Alpheidae, are found worldwide with over 600 species living in oceans, rivers and freshwater catchments. The sound they emit could be likened to a crackling fire, but has the capacity to stun crabs and fish and reach an impressive 218 decibels.

The snapping shrimp has two claws, one which appears to be disproportionately large with two unique joints that create the distinctive sound. The speed in which the joint snaps shut creates a powerful wave that results in the loud popping sound. The sound is generated by the collapse of a cavitation bubble formed in an extremely rapid closure of their claw.

Snapping Shrimp – M. Versluis, B. Schmitz, A. von der Heydt, and D. Lohse, Science 289, 2114 (2000).
Shrimp Claw - M. Versluis, B. Schmitz, A. von der Heydt, and D. Lohse, Science 289, 2114 (2000).
Shrimp Claw – M. Versluis, B. Schmitz, A. von der Heydt, and D. Lohse, Science 289, 2114 (2000).

A temporal analysis of the sound recordings and the high-speed images below show that no sound is associated with the claw closure, it is all created in the collapse of the bubble.

Although they are usually only 3–5 cm long, this family of shrimp is considered the loudest animal in the sea, which is an impressive feat considering the size of a sperm whale. When found in large numbers, the shrimp have the capacity to interfere with sonar and underwater communication equipment and also other aquatic species. 

Brisbane River, West End Ferry Wharf, Recorded at 3pm on August 14th 2014.
Brisbane River, West End Ferry Wharf, Recorded at 3pm on August 14th 2014.

It is rare to capture a singular shrimp in a recording, the soundscapes generally consist of a constant crackling and popping that will continue for hours. I have been observing the sonic changes in the shrimp sounds at different times of day, and also analysing how they react to other sounds in the river.

Hilton Esplanade, Noosa River, Recorded at 6pm on September 2nd 2014.
Hilton Esplanade, Noosa River, Recorded at 6pm on September 2nd 2014.

Considering there are 600 species of this shrimp worldwide, it is certainly a large area of aquatic bioacoustics that warrants further investigation. My initial questions revolve around the specific sonic characteristics of the species present in South East Queensland rivers. As the shrimp can interfere with sonar and underwater communication equipment, it would be interesting to explore how they affect communication and interaction amongst other aquatic species in Queensland rivers. It is also likely the intensity of the sounds they emit has an impact of other aspects of the river ecosystem. To explore this further I am planning to monitor other aspects of the river ecosystems at four contrasting sites. From a creative perspective, we are currently exploring concepts for a range of installations that will draw on the source material and allow listeners to experience the soundscapes in immersive contexts using transducers to produce the effect of listening underwater.