The poetics, politics, and ethics of sound art installations in the global 21st century

Soundscapes of conflict can make the global individual identify and empathise with contemporary events that otherwise would not be well understood and absorbed by a public who is not familiar with warscapes. Recent sonic art installations, such as those hosted by the ‘Venice Biennale’ (2024) remind the audience that sound and aural experiences shape individual and collective memories, raising awareness about war, violence, trauma, misrepresented traditions and conservation issues. The 21st century interdisciplinary outlook on the humanities has become increasingly common in academia, suggesting how important the marriage of disciplines is especially today, when human rights and values are threatened not only by climate changes but also by a global paradigm shift. Blue Humanities, Ecomusicology, Ecocriticism – these are some recent examples of intellectual intersections between music, sound, space, and environment that show current directions and concern of the humanities. This study aims to investigate how sound narratives inform the audience of various forms of conflict surrounding them: the traumas and consequences of wars; historical changes in traditional societies; the potential threat of climate change and noise pollution; and current approaches to international migration and human rights. Since sound art installations reflect spatial practices and human interaction, this article will look at how acoustic representations of space can become forms of political resistance, reinforcing the idea that collaboration and active participation in resistance are of utmost importance today.