Tracing Poetic Atmospheres: Multichannel Electroacoustic Soundscapes and Their Cultural Dimensions

Abstract This article invites the reader into the shimmering thresholds of poetic atmosphere as encountered within the multichannel electroacoustic soundscape. We traverse spaces shaped by sound—immersive, affective, and richly textured—where listening itself becomes an act of poetic attunement. Drawing on the sensibilities of Gernot Böhme, Maurice Merleau-Ponty, Martin Heidegger, Gaston Bachelard, and Peter Sloterdijk, we explore atmosphere as a phenomenon that is felt, inhabited, and composed. Through close readings of works by Edgard Varèse, Barry Truax, Hildegard Westerkamp, Natasha Barrett, and Zhang Xiaofu, I encounter compositions in which memory, place, and emotion are entwined within sonic architectures. Here, the soundscape unfolds not as a linear narrative but as a living, spatial text—inviting the listener to dwell, remember, and dream within a poetics of resonance and ethical encounter. Ultimately, I propose electroacoustic art as a practice of sonic poetics: a convergence of technology, imagination, and philosophical reflection, shaping atmospheres that vibrate across bodies, spaces, and cultures.