Abstract
Listening, field recording, and soundscape composition contribute to developing an ecological understanding of the world through sound. Rooted in the work of R. Murray Schafer and Pierre Mariétan, and extended by artists, composers, and researchers such as Hildegard Westerkamp, Barry Truax, and Bernie Krause, this approach not only preserves traces of our sonic environment but also provides ever-evolving compositional material. The capture and recombination of sonic fragments, central to this practice, resonate with Lev Manovich’s concept of the “aesthetics of fragments” in the field of visual media. By extending this idea to sound, we examine how artificial intelligence can generate new forms of auditory memory and reshape composition rooted in environmental listening. Methodologically, this presentation combines theoretical reflection with the analysis of selected soundscape-based AI works, alongside an ongoing practice-based research project entitled “Le Monde en fragments”, which employs AI-assisted soundscape recomposition using environmental field recordings and generative models. As Manovich suggests, AI allows fragmented cultural materials, often excluded or forgotten, to resurface. We argue that this use of AI supports renewed creative approaches while contributing to the preservation and reinterpretation of sonic heritage. Drawing a parallel with visual media, we focus on how AI enables a more fluid, dynamic, and less rigid form of memory. Applied to sound, this fosters an open, generative ecosystem where auditory memory becomes more accessible, flexible, and responsive to ecological and cultural change.
Presenters
Azadeh NilchianiPostdoctoral Fellow, Institut ACTE – Arts Créations Théories Esthétique, University Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, France
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
2025 Special Focus—From Democratic Aesthetics to Digital Culture
KEYWORDS
Ecological listening, Aesthetics of fragments, Image and sound, Artificial intelligence
