What we're about
We're about the environment. We've heard from the scientists and we've followed the news. We're concerned with what we've seen and experienced in storms, tornados, floods, and droughts, and we're concerned with scientific predictions of melting ice leading to desalinization, temperature change, and acidification in the oceans. We're afraid that our lack of decisive action is allowing a dangerous and unpleasant world to develop and to threaten the quality of our lives and the future generations of our children.
We know that there are economic, social, and political complexities in mitigating the effects of climate change and learning how to live with them. But we also know that before we can deal with these complexities, we must want to deal with them. We need to make contact with the environment, become aware of the issues, and become engaged. Scientific reports may be frightening but they are not engaging. How can we proceed? As our friend Mark Moffett wrote, "Modern ecologists may have reached a limit on how effectively they can convey messages to the public, and they may now need to draw upon the emotional vibrancy offered by the arts."
We view environmental art, in sound and image, as vibrant and engaging communication. Sound communicates the way we feel about something. Image makes the 'something' specific.
Environmental sound art and image gives us a powerful way of connecting with the environment. As we better understand the world, we will better understand the state of the world. And our understanding of the state of the world will affect our personal actions, our political actions, and our communications with others.
We're spreading the word. We're creating a worldwide network of environmental artists and their friends, which includes everyone who is interested in the environment. The Ear to the Earth website, as a platform for sounds, images, and ideas, is its hub.
As a spinoff from the network, we produce an annual Ear to the Earth Festival every October in New York. We encourage other organizations and individuals around the world to produce events.
We provide access to sounds and images.
We produce workshops in field recording and other skills relevant to environmental sound art; encourage and support research relating to our natural and urban environments; and engage in other activities that foster creativity, community, communication, and environmental awareness.
Ultimately, we want everybody to become a sound artist, to listen, to learn, to become engaged, and to create works that we can include in the Ear to the Earth site for all to see.
There are three levels of engagement in the environment:
The first level is listening. Please do that. Just sit down somewhere and listen to the sounds around you.
The second level, yet more compelling and engaging, is listening through the ears, sensibilities, and talents of sound artists.
The third level is to become an artist and create environmental sound art.
Whatever you choose to do, and at whatever level you become involved, we invite you to join us, to listen, explore, share sounds and images, produce events, generate ideas, become an artist, and foster awareness of the environment throughout the world.
EMF :: Arts Electric :: EMF Productions :: CDeMusic