The Father of Acoustic Ecology

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First you decide who's going to live there and what kinds of sounds they would like to live with. The Japanese soundscape association decided to ask people to nominate the 100 most beautiful soundscapes in Japan. Thousands and thousands of people replied. They said, the way the waves hit a particular shell from a sea creature on a particular beach -- it sounds very different from pebbles and sand, it's a unique sound.

The people from the association would then go and hear the sound and if they agreed, they would put it on the 100 most beautiful soundscapes in Japan. And so those places are protected. They're like heritage sites. If you wanted to put a cement factory next to one, you probably would have a great deal of difficulty. They're protecting the environment by using sound creatively -- and consulting people. Pass it back to the people. I don't think people want a lot of noise. I think they're frightened to complain and say they would like it to be a bit quieter.

They're afraid to complain because of the power of what you call "sacred noise"?

Absolutely, sacred noise. Sacred noise is when you can make as much noise as you wish without being censured. It's a powerful organization within a society that can make a sacred noise. Churches in the Middle Ages could ring their bells day and night; that was the loudest sound in the city. Then, after the industrial revolution, factories could make as much noise as they wanted.

How do we step back and learn to listen?

I sometimes ask a class to stand up without making a single sound. If I hear a sound, they have to sit down and start again. You obviously can't do this quickly. They may spend 10 minutes trying to stand up quietly. The ambient noise level in the room drops suddenly, and all of them are holding their breath and listening like crazy. We should be doing simple exercises like this with children, to get them to stop and listen.

You've staged many of your compositions in the natural world. Why?

In a simple environment -- one that is not urban -- you hear sounds from far away. In nature, you can use sound coming from the distance.

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