SOUND AS AN ECOLOGICAL SPACE OF COMMUNICATION IN THE ART OF THE 20TH–21ST CENTURIES
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31392/cult.alm.2026.2.55Keywords:
sound, eco-art, John Cage, “Litany for the Whale,” John Crumb, “Vox Balaenae” phonemic sequence, litany, 20th–21st-century artAbstract
This article attempts to explore sound as an ecological medium in the musical art of the 20th and 21st centuries within the context of contemporary post-humanist ideas and critiques of anthropocentrism. The aim of the study is to identify the characteristics of the functioning of non-linguistic sound structures in contemporary music and to determine their role in shaping alternative models of communication between humans and nature. Particular attention is paid to the analysis of compositional practices that address the theme of natural sound environments and animal vocalizations, particularly in the works of J. Crumb and J. Cage. The methodological foundation of the study consists of interdisciplinary approaches that combine musicological analysis with cultural and philosophical discourses. In particular, the study utilizes ideas of posthumanism presented in the works of R. Braidotti, as well as Jacques Derrida’s concepts of the deconstruction of language, which allow for a critical re-examination of anthropocentric models of cognition and linguistic representation of the world. The study also takes into account contemporary scientific data on the structure of whale vocalizations (A. Block, L. Cull, D. Martinelli, K. Payne), which made it possible to consider natural sound phenomena as complex communicative systems. The article analyzes the peculiarities of using phonemic series as a means of transcending linguistic semantics and transitioning to a non-linguistic level of sound. It demonstrates that in J. Crumb’s works, phonemes function as an instrument for deconstructing verbal meaning, opening up space for experiencing sound as a self-sufficient phenomenon. In turn, John Cage’s “Litany for the Whale” is interpreted as a transformation of the sacred genre, in which there is a reorientation from human linguistic practice toward alternative sound models that gravitate toward the logic of natural vocalization. The scientific novelty of the study lies in the consideration of sound as an ecological medium capable of functioning outside the linguistic system and serving as a means of interspecies communication. The conclusions emphasize that the appeal to natural sound phenomena in contemporary music contributes to the formation of new aesthetic and ethical paradigms, in which music emerges as a space for interaction and rethinking the relationship between humans and nature. In this context, sound serves not only as an artistic medium but also as an important tool for ecological thinking, capable of bringing to the fore the issue of the shared vulnerability and interdependence of all forms of life.
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