Associate Professor, Comenius University Bratislava (Musicology)
Visiting Professor, University of Innsbruck (Musicology)
Planning a SoundMap to Combat Climate Change
SoundMapTyrol is a project I have started while I work as a Visiting Professor at the University of Innsbruck. A central aim of the project is to research and document the sound of environmental changes in Euroregion Tyrol – South Tyrol – Trentino. The project combines research in the natural sciences—specifically, Landscape Ecology—with soundscape studies, historical and cultural studies, and field recording. My primary partners are Dr. Uta Schirpke, a landscape ecologist at the University of Innsbruck who specializes in alpine environments, and university students in the humanities, natural sciences, and information technology in the Euroregion. An important institutional partner, in addition to the University of Innsbruck (Tyrol), is the Gustav Mahler Research Center in Toblach/Dobbiaco, Italy (South Tyrol).
SoundMapTyrol was inspired by my feeling of being powerless against climate change and the realization that sound is a powerful tool for assessing the environment. In addition to researching the historical and cultural aspects of regional soundscapes, the project documents the present state of alpine environments using the tools of landscape ecology, and it hopes to create a record that future generations can consult. This paper outlines my planning of the project.