The second installment of the Less is Sound series aims to document the local soundscapes of hidden natural locations around the periphery of Bratislava while layering this experience with sonic postcards from far and wide.
Driven by the practical need to bring sound arts outdoors during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021, Less is Sound set out on a mission to facilitate critical reflection on the sounds of nature (including human actors) on the city’s periphery.
Less is Sound seeks to highlight the act of deep listening, elevating it to a practice of extended perception of reality in the context of the dominance of visual culture.
In a time of crises fueled by patriarchal-colonial hyper-capitalism, deep listening becomes an ecological and political practice. It requires transcending anthropocentrism (civilizational self-centeredness) and reveals new forms of attention based on empathy.
Less is Sound vol.2 took place on August 18th, 2023, at dawn at the magical location called Starohájsky Ostrov—one of the last untouched and relatively forgotten pieces of uncultivated nature around Slovakia’s capital, home to nearly fifty species of birds.
Whether it’s the minimalist, vocal-driven compositions of Adela Mede, the shimmering electro-acoustic interplay of Jonatan Pastirčák and Petr Vrba, Luc Vitk’s cheeky participatory piece for sand, accordion, cymatics, and bells, or Lea Bertucci’s evocative drone landscapes, the approach that unites these recordings remains the same: to listen to and respect the local soundscape and interact with it as an equal artist.
