Critical Perspectives on Petrosonics: A Study Day

This RMA- and BFE-supported study day aims to open up a space to discuss energy sonics.

The emergence of a broad field of energy humanities in recent years has generated interest in the relationship between energy and society, and in cultural and artistic dimensions of energy exploration and extraction. This includes research on resulting global entanglements and colonial/neo-colonial relationships. There has to date, however, been relatively little work that focuses on the musical and broader sonic implications of energy regimes and infrastructures, and few studies to suggest how sound might contribute to energy humanities more broadly.

We will discuss topics including:

• Sounds of fossil fuel exploration and extraction
• Sonics of ‘oil towns’
• Creative practice that engages with sounds produced by fossil fuels, their extraction, refinement and processing etc.
• Sounds of energy company promotional films
• Sounds of colonial/neo-colonial relationships engendered through fossil fuels
• Sounds of decarbonization and environmental justice
• Sounds of social unrest and conflict related to fossil fuels (strikes, revolution, etc.)
• Energetic and political infrastructures of voice and voicing produced by and through fossil fuels (e.g. via Big Oil), and strategies of listening to and against these voices
• Material implications of petro-derived products used in the production and consumption of music (carbon microphones, plastics, etc.)