During this year’s MUST festival in Tampere, there was the premiere of a screening exploring soundscapes in the 360-degree audiovisual MUST dome theatre on 22 May 2025.
Different multispecies perspectives were presented varying from listening to bats and imagining the coexistence of species in Tampere to attending to the stories of trees and embodying a woodpecker’s point of view. The screening challenged visitors to rethink their relationship with other species and the environment. The screening included works by Tammerkoski upper secondary school students, associates and students of the Sound Art Master program at HMTM München, and MUST researchers.
A still image from a audiovisual work by Tammerkoski upper secondary school students.
Tammerkoski upper secondary school students showcased their creativity and environmental awareness through two audiovisual pieces, Sorsapuisto and Liisanpuisto, which delved into the intricate coexistence of humans and other species within urban landscapes. These projects emerged from a broader initiative aimed at conceptualizing a communal meeting place for diverse species, utilizing environmental research conducted through various sensory experiences as a foundational element. The students explored their local surroundings, employing 360° cameras and sound recorders from Lukiokoulutus kohti metaversumia (Upper Secondary Education towards Metaverse) project, alongside mobile phones and drawing tools to capture the essence of human-nature interactions.
Professor Till Bovermann and Students of the Sound Art Master program at HMTM München, Germany, worked in collaboration with MUST Researchers to create audiovisual compositions.
Students of the Sound Art Master program at HMTM München, Germany, unveiled spatial sound miniatures, drawing inspiration from the Kauppi urban forest in Tampere. These compositions emerged from a workshop led by Dr Jonathan Carruthers-Jones, focusing on acoustic ecologies and examining the interplay between sound, nature, and human impact on the environment. Tree Tales by Elizaveta Trukhanova imagined narratives that trees might share if we could decipher their language. Inspired by the creaks of a tree interacting with its surroundings, this piece intertwined field recordings with instrumental fragments. Glattes horn by Georg Zichy utilized dismantled field recordings, abstracting them from their natural origins and created dense soundscapes that evoked an oneiric perception of reality.
Listening Through the Ears of Others — Black Woodpecker (Dryocopus martius) was an ambisonic fixed media composition by the professor for Sound Art at HMTM München Till Bovermann with MUST researchers Jonathan Carruthers-Jones and Satu Aavanranta, inviting audiences to experience the world from the auditory perspective of a black woodpecker residing in Kauppi urban forest. The piece embarked on a sensory journey, exploring how our perception might shift if we could hear through the ears of another species. The first segment presented a condensed soundscape composition, capturing the essence of the woodpecker’s environment through a blend of field recordings and synthesized elements. The second part transformed this soundscape, altering it to reflect the unique auditory perception and time experience of the black woodpecker. The composition challenged listeners to consider the rich diversity of sensory experiences in the natural world, broadening our understanding of ecological soundscapes and the creatures that inhabit them.
A still image from the audiovisual work, ‘Species Interface Module’, by John Allen, Satu Aavanranta, Jonathan Carruthers-Jones and Till Bovermann.
MUST researchers presented two collaborative pieces. Species Interface Module, a 360-degree audiovisual work by John Allen, Satu Aavanranta, Jonathan Carruthers-Jones and Till Bovermann, creatively bridged the sensory gap between humans and bats. The piece was inspired by Donna Haraway’s concept of “taking the animal turn” and philosopher Thomas Nagel’s exploration of consciousness. Utilizing the Echo Meter Touch 2 ultrasonic microphone from Wildlife Acoustics, the piece captured the navigation and hunting calls of a Northern Bat (Eptesicus nilssonii) recorded in Pyynikin kirkkopuisto on 18 May 2025. These ultrasonic calls, typically beyond human hearing, were transformed into an accessible auditory experience by amplifying and slowing them down fivefold. Paired with 360° video and ambient sounds recorded in the park, the composition layered the downshifted bat calls with the evening soundscape, allowing humans to perceive the rich auditory world of these nocturnal creatures. By bringing bats into our sensory realm, this piece invited viewers to ponder Nagel’s philosophical inquiry, “What is it like to be a bat?” and challenged us to consider the diverse experiences of consciousness across species.
A still image from the audiovisual work, SMA09822_20221114_130002.wav, by Jonathan Carruthers-Jones, Hannu Autto, Anu Ruohomaki, Paul Petry, John Allen, Satu Aavanranta, Till Bovermann, and Christopher Raymond.
The screening was wrapped up with a transition from Tampere to the far north, introducing a completely different soundscape. SMA09822_20221114_130002.wav was a 360-degree audiovisual work by Jonathan Carruthers-Jones, Hannu Autto, Anu Ruohomaki, Paul Petry, John Allen, Satu Aavanranta, Till Bovermann, and Christopher Raymond, that drew from a long-term ecoacoustic monitoring project initiated in 2022 in Kilpisjärvi. The piece captured an intimate moment in the life of a solitary tree at the foot of Saana fell, offering viewers a glimpse into the intricate soundscape of nature. Extracted from a vast database of over a million sound files collected across Finland by the MUST research team, it focused on data recorded on 14 Nov 2022 between 13:38 and 13:48. During this 10-minute period, several rock ptarmigans (Lagopus muta) congregated on the tree, one of the few perching spots in an otherwise stark landscape.
In conclusion, the screening presented audiovisual works that bridge human perception with the sensory experiences of other species, using technology and creative techniques to transform natural soundscapes into immersive experiences. These pieces, from capturing the auditory world of the black woodpecker to translating bat calls for human ears, challenged us to reconsider our relationship with nature and the diverse forms of consciousness it encompasses. By engaging with these perspectives, we gained insights into the behaviours and ecological roles of different species, enriching our appreciation for biodiversity and underscoring the importance of environmental protection.
Text: Satu Aavanranta, Jonathan Carruthers-Jones
Photos: Jonathan Carruthers-Jones, Kari Jalonen
