International competition for climate-related 'sound art' opens to entrants

The Climate Centre has joined Argentina’s Tres de Febrero University in opening a competition for sound art related to “the effects of climate change and the world environmental crisis”.

The university’s Electronic Arts Experimentation and Research Centre, which is helping to organize the competition, is looking for sound-art “miniatures”, including electroacoustic and acousmatic (music heard without its origin being visible) soundscapes.

The competition is supported by the Balance-Unbalance international conference, which aims to “use art as a catalyst to explore intersections between nature, science, technology and society” in an age of “ecological threats and multidisciplinary possibilities”.

The Hexagram-Concordia Centre for Research-Creation in Media Arts and Technologies of Concordia University, Montreal, is also participating.

Sound artists have until 10 March 2013 to submit entires for the climate competition.

They are asked to address two themes: one broad category including anything related to climate change and extreme weather events, and another concentrating on mosquito-borne diseases like malaria and dengue, which are affected by climate factors.

The soundscapes will eventually be linked from the Climate Centre’s own website and will be used as part of workshops, training materials and educational games.