Proc. of the EAA Joint Symposium on Auralization and Ambisonics, Berlin, Germany, 3-5 April 2014 “FRAGMENTS OF EXTINCTION” A PERIPHONIC AUDIO-VIDEO CONCERT BASED ON 3D-AMBISONICS FIELD RECORDINGS OF PRIMARY RAINFOREST ECOSYSTEMS David Monacchi Department of New Technologies and Music Languages Conservatory of Music “G.Rossini”, Pesaro, Italy info@davidmonacchi.it ABSTRACT Following the extensive data collection carried out with space- preservative recording methodologies during the last field re- cording trips to the remote equatorial primary rainforests of Brunei and Sarawak (Borneo), and Dzanga-Sangha, Ndoki (Cen- tral Africa), the audio-video concert proposed a sequence of sonic experiences where pure unaltered recordings, were ex- plored and then complemented with subtle digital sound synthe- sis. The spatial complexity and inter-species ecoacoustic order within the different sonic habitats (primary lowland dipterocarp forest, alluvial forest, pond and riverbank forest in Borneo, and dense forest and saline habitats in Africa), manifesting the bal- anced interplay among hundreds of biophonies, have been rec- orded with the highest 3D-Ambisonics definition possible in those remote environment, and presented with periphonic play- back systems. Compositionally, different levels of time-lapse, explorations of audible and inaudible sonic languages, and a real-time spectrogram video projection, allowed the audience to understand the ecosystems’ internal configurations. Subtle sen- sor-driven live musical integrations ideally build then a powerful metaphor of our species collaborating with these extraordinary composite ecosystems. 1. INTRODUCTION Crossing boundaries between bioacoustics, acoustic ecology, electroacoustic technology, music composition and installation art, the long-term project Fragments of Extinction aims to portray and reveal the ordered structures of primary ecosystems, define a possible model of compositional integration and make the out- come accessible to audiences to foster awareness of the current “sixth mass extinction.” [1] Natural soundscape has always provided unconscious imitative models for music creation. Western music tradition has deliber- ately turned to natural soundscape as a source of inspiration, and, with the increasing availability of recording tools and electroa- coustic techniques, nature sounds have entered music as compo- sitional elements. In recent times, few musicians have started to work and interact with bio-acoustic sources, generating different practices within ‘environmental sound art’. Studying ecosystem diversity from the music perspective, helps to reveal hidden structures of equilibrium and an aesthetic order (particularly noticeable in primary forests) which can be fully integrated in eco-acoustic composition [2]. Recording, reproduc- tion and design of immersive sound installations can constitute an effective strategy to raise awareness within an ecologi- cal/environmental perspective. The progressive decline of diversity and the consequential degra- dation of soundscape’s balanced structures represents an im- measurable loss both for science (which will be denied the op- portunity to study the sonic imprints of original ecosystems), and for artistic creation, since the fragile beauty of these possible models of sound organization will be lost forever. The aim of the international long-term project Fragments of Extinction is to bring the current biodiversity crisis to broad public attention, through spatial audio ecosystems’ reconstruction (Fig.1). Figure 1: The author during the presentation of his project Fragments of Extinction, before the concert into the 25-speaker periphonic array at the EAA Symphosium, Berlin, April 4 th 2014. (Photo: M. Kronlachner) 2. FIELD WORK METHODOLOGIES 2.1. General Considerations The project’s research vision relies on the acknowledgment that natural habitats are highly organized systems: according to the niche hypothesis [3], species seem to follow niche separation, both in time and frequency domains, thus arranging their vocali- zations very efficiently in the collective sonic space. In order to deepen the study of this hypothesis and its public artistic render- ing, I have been focusing on the most ancient and complex eco-