Towards a Methodology for Co-creating Artistic Acoustic Ecologies with the Great Lakes

This paper will discuss the early stages of the development of a methodology for co-creating artistic acoustic ecologies with the Great Lakes. It explores some initial philosophical, technological, creative/musical, and ethical concerns involved in my PhD research-creation project entitled: Sounds Like Water, To Me. In the paper I ask how we might come to understand these bodies of water as animated actors in their own rights, with their own unique subjectivities? By doing so I hope to facilitate a greater understanding of human impact on, relationships to, and responsibilities toward the lakes and all other waters. I will discuss the philosophical framework around perception and being and then explore some technical, artistic and ethical thinking towards a methodology and investigate which tools, techniques, and protocols can be developed or adapted to achieve these goals. The article also puts forward some early experiments, guided by the literature review, and future areas of research. My research-creation project draws on my experiences as a composer and visual artist, to employ sonic data gathering techniques such as biodata sonification and field recordings, alongside embodied and Indigenous-informed research methodologies in order to undertake a co-created artistic acoustic ecology with the Great Lakes.