Summary

Description

The Dundee Sound Collective is a group of sound artists working to connect communities with their environment through sound and listening. In partnership with NEoN Digital Arts, we will lead local groups on a series of free soundwalks and field recording workshops. Focusing on the hidden detail of our environments - the depth of flora and fauna, how much we can hear when we actively listen - allows us to consider the breadth of the impact of climate change around us. Six workshops will take place in and around Dundee over the course of a year, each focused on a different theme such as birds of the Tay Reedbeds or plants in the Botanic Garden. The recordings gathered will be used to create an online sound map of Dundee that can be community updated and will track the impact of climate change on our soundscape.

The practice of soundwalking can be powerful for highlighting climate problems – traffic noise drowns out birdsong; marine industrialisation reduces the biodiversity of our waters. Introducing groups to this practice can raise awareness of the issues we face.

The collective has experience with working with schools, universities and other young people to help them learn about the practice of soundwalking and sound recording - we’ve previously held workshops with Hot Chocolate Trust, YPC, Soundbase, Dundee University and Abertay University. We aim to extend these workshops to the whole community to help people gain hands-on experience with sound equipment and recording techniques, and to reconnect with the river and nature around us. We love to work in collaboration with local experts to study our local wildlife more deeply.

NEoN was established in 2009 and aims to advance the understanding and accessibility of digital and technology driven art forms. NEoN has organised exhibitions, workshops, talks, conferences, live performances, public discussions and outreach activities. NEoN is committed to working with Dundee’s local communities, engaging with young people and offering volunteer opportunities.

NEoN Digital Arts has been a collaborator on several sound installations and works. Including the successful ' ‘Whale” by Yolanda Harris which invoked Dundee’s past as a centre for the whaling industry and increased our awareness of the new cultural industries replacing it here on the waterfront. Also, the commission of “Themes for Buildings and Spaces' ', where Andrew Wasylyk (alias of Scottish writer, producer and multi-instrumentalist, Andrew Mitchell) invited the listener to explore the city through sound.