Geolocational Soundwalk as ecological choreography: Walking and listening towards ecological awareness

Abstract

This article, which is based on a thesis written for an MA in Contemporary Theatre, Dance and Dramaturgy at Utrecht University, considers the ecological potential of performing arts through a lens of a newly proposed concept of ecological choreography with reference to a stimulation of ecological experience of interconnectedness and an attention on the format of a geolocational soundwalk (through a study case of Sandbox). A geolocational soundwalk is an example of ecological choreography due to its characteristics of practical mechanics and the use of sound. Choreography, here defined as an organisation of things in space and time, refers to performance’s way of producing such ecological experiences. Relying on a combination of geographical location and sound excerpts instigated by these coordinates, a geolocational soundwalk’s audience experiences interconnectedness immediately when encountering the medium itself. The interdependence of its elements is ingrained into the artwork’s structure and any missteps from the audience which disturb the interconnectedness are visible, revealing the web of complex connections. In combination with presenting topics such as degradation of public space and the return of natural sounds during the pandemic, Sandbox produces an experience of interconnectedness for the attendee. When listening to sound excerpts and stories about the physical place they are walking, the web of connections between the location, the mechanics of the soundwalk as well as ecological topics is revealed. The embodied experience, which is the ecological contribution of performance, is what makes the soundwalk an example of the concept of ecological choreography.