In late 2020, we made our way through the UNESCO world heritage site of the Western Ghats. Older than the Himalayas, this mountain range is known for its significant biological diversity and endemism. Traveling by road, we pursued a line of thought that was inspired by the world of soundscapes and circadian rhythms.
Field recorders in hand, what struck us was just how easy it is to forget that we evolved from primitive ancestors who were excellent listeners and now reside in the modern culture of visual dominance. At the center of what we learned and gained from our time spent in the resplendence of the Western Ghats, was a feeling of connection - to ourselves, to the folks around us, and to our shifting environments. One that continues to reveal itself to us when we remember how to listen. Key to our journey were the people we connected with along the way. Farmers, artists, naturalists, and permaculture practitioners shared experiences of living and growing up in the Western Ghats. The interviews reveal their relationships to the sounds around them, and tell stories of how many of those sounds have changed over the years, with some disappearing altogether.
A small snapshot of an unexpected adventure during the pandemic now sits here on this ‘listener's Imaginarium’. This website is a young exploration of the oldest mountain range in India, through sound. Spending time with headphones and recorders in these spaces had a profound impact on us and has fuelled us to share that experience as a way to reflect, pause and tune in to the going-ons in some of our most sacred environments.
Field recorders in hand, what struck us was just how easy it is to forget that we evolved from primitive ancestors who were excellent listeners and now reside in the modern culture of visual dominance. At the center of what we learned and gained from our time spent in the resplendence of the Western Ghats, was a feeling of connection - to ourselves, to the folks around us, and to our shifting environments. One that continues to reveal itself to us when we remember how to listen. Key to our journey were the people we connected with along the way. Farmers, artists, naturalists, and permaculture practitioners shared experiences of living and growing up in the Western Ghats. The interviews reveal their relationships to the sounds around them, and tell stories of how many of those sounds have changed over the years, with some disappearing altogether.
A small snapshot of an unexpected adventure during the pandemic now sits here on this ‘listener's Imaginarium’. This website is a young exploration of the oldest mountain range in India, through sound. Spending time with headphones and recorders in these spaces had a profound impact on us and has fuelled us to share that experience as a way to reflect, pause and tune in to the going-ons in some of our most sacred environments.
connect with us at groundtotheears@gmail.com
We acknowledge that our recordings do not contribute to an actual conservation, and that that work is done on the ground by the organizations and people dedicated to those causes, whose work we endeavor to support through the various manifestations of this project.
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