Soundspace: A Manifesto

The manifesto is a long-standing and powerful tool for challenge within architecture, deployed by those as diverse as Vitruvius and Frank Lloyd Wright (who proposed a Walt Whitman-inspired “Work Song” of 1896) to those publishing in blogs across the designing planet today. Manifestos are locations for dreaming, for the banging of shoes, for passion in words about the environment we invent. Our manifesto follows in that tradition of poetry and critical optimism in calling for a new architecture of soundspace.

Here we wish to act as Markus Miessen’s “uninvited outsider” (Miessen 2010), a transgressive voice that disturbs the status quo beyond comfortable familiarity and brings together different types of thinkers and various modes of critique.[1] In this article we seek to probe “fundamental questions about how and for whom the built environment is produced and … conventional frameworks or oldestablished rules and regulations” through the interdisciplinarity that sound studies demands.[2] The ear to transgression is open.[3]

Acoustic features of song categories and their possible implications for communication in the common nightingale (Luscinia megarhynchos)

In many passerine species, males sing more than one distinct song type. Commonly, songs are assigned to different song types or song categories based on phonological and syntactical dissimilarities. However, temporal aspects, such as song length and song rate, also need to be considered to understand the possible functions of different songs. Common nightingales (Luscinia megarhynchos) have large vocal repertoires of different song types but their songs additionally can be grouped into two distinct categories (particular groups of song types): whistle songs and nonwhistle songs. Whistle songs are hypothesised to be important to attract migrating females. We studied temporal properties of whistle songs and nonwhistle songs and examined the relationship between those song parameters and song output parameters, such as song rate and song length. To investigate how song parameters vary among males, we calculated the coefficients of variation for different song traits. We found that the variation in the proportion of whistle songs was significantly higher among males than variation in other song parameters. Furthermore, the proportion of whistle songs was negatively correlated with other sona output patterns. These findings suggest that the production of whistle songs might be constrained and/or that whistle songs and their succeeding pauses may act as a functional unit in communication.

The natural plasma testosterone profile of male blue tits during the breeding season and its relation to song output

In male birds, the gonadal hormone testosterone (T) is known to influence territorial and mating behaviour. Plasma levels of T show seasonal fluctuations which vary in relation to mating system and social instability. First, we determined the natural T profile of male blue tits Parus caeruleus during the breeding season. We found that plasma levels of T increased at the onset of nest building. Thus, the increase in circulating T was not associated with territory establishment, nor with the fertile period of the males' mates. In most individuals, T levels dropped to values close to zero during the period of chick feeding. Second, we investigated the relationship between plasma levels of T and male age, size, and singing behaviour. During the mating period, T levels did not differ between 1 yr old and older males and did not correlate with body size or condition. However, song output during the dawn chorus tended to be positively correlated with T levels. Therefore, if high T levels are costly, song output might be an honest indicator of male quality in blue tits. Finally, we show that plasma levels of T are significantly higher during the night than during the day. This pattern has also been observed in captive non-passerine birds, but its functional significance remains unknown.

"Variations on Psycho Killer" - Musical Score. Commissioned by Pauline Kim Harris. A virtuosic set of variations on the famous Talking Heads song for solo violin. General information State: Unpublished Organisations: School of Creative Arts, Sonic Arts, UOA35 - Music, Drama, Dance and Performing Arts Authors: Lyon, E. Keywords: (Talking Heads, Violin Music) Publication date: 2012

Musical Score. Commissioned by Pauline Kim Harris. A virtuosic set of variations on the famous Talking Heads song for solo violin.