The nature of sound and the sound of Nature

This paper considers ways in which audio recording can be used to offer new ways of experiencing natural environments, through a series of interviews with leading sound artists who have worked in extreme and remote locations. Its aims are to discover why sound artists are increasingly being attracted to dangerous and volatile environments, and what it is that they discover about themselves and their surroundings once they are there. It uses interviews which provide insights into each artist's motives and observations, how they have been marked by their experiences and how these experiences have subsequently influenced the work that they produce. It discusses the effects of undertaking fieldwork in remote locations including the Galapagos Islands, Antarctica, Iceland, the Amazon and the Arctic, and the strategies that each artist used to adapt to the prevailing conditions. It also examines the different concepts and methods informing location field recording and the differences between notions of authentic documentation and constructed composition. As remote locations become increasingly accessible and the popularity of field recording gains traction, it is worth asking whether the artefacts produced are in themselves unique and valuable, or whether it is the personal preoccupations, memories and perceptions of the artist articulated through their recordings that are of most value when listening to these works.