Solidian Soundscapes: Artistic Research on Spatial Quality of Sound in Soil

This contribution presents the research-creation project SOIL (Soil Obser-vation through musical Interaction and Listening), which investigates soil as a sonic and compositional medium. Drawing on ecoacoustics, sound ecology, landscape studies, and music technology, the project proposes to develop new listening devices and compositional strategies that foreground the vibratory and spatial properties of soil. Conducted in urban gardens in Saint-Denis (France) and New York (USA), with a future opening towards other landscapes such as glaciers, the project is rooted in collaborative prac-tices with musicians (the Longleash trio) and different audiences, in order to foster a shared and sensitive attention to urban soils. Our hypothesis is that listening to and composing with soil allows us to challenge utilitarian and extractivist views (Henry, 2023; Bednik, 2016), and instead reveal its ecological, symbolic, and memorial dimensions (Selosse, 2022; Pierron, 2003). While building upon methodologies from ecoacoustics and passive acoustic monitoring (Maeder et al., 2019; Metcalf et al., 2024; Krause & Fa-rina, 2016), our project proposes a complementary approach grounded in qualitative, sensitive and spatial listening. By designing multichannel re-cording devices adapted to the specific vibratory qualities of the ground, we aim to open new possibilities for musical composition that engage both the material and symbolic poetics of soil. These experiments, documented online are tested during public events such as soundwalks and concerts. They aim to foster an attentive and situated perception of the underground environment, exploring how musical composition can mediate a sensitive relation to soil.