FRAGILITY: AN IMMERSIVE ACOUSMATIC COMPOSITION

Abstract

Background and Objectives: The concept of acousmatic music has significantly influenced the paradigms of sound perception, compositional approaches, and technological applications, leading to new creative possibilities, including immersive sound experiences. Acousmatic music emphasizes the presentation of sound without a visible source, explicit meaning, or contextual reference, challenging traditional listening practices and encouraging deeper engagement with auditory perception. This study examines the use of acousmatic compositional techniques, field recordings, sound exploration through soundwalks, site-specific sound installation, and multi-layered spatial diffusion to create complex interactions between the listener and the environment, fostering an immersive listening experience that responds to spatial and contextual conditions. This exploration raises a research question: “How can compositional processes and tools be employed to create an acousmatic music composition that delivers an immersive experience?”

Methods: The researcher developed Fragility: An Immersive Acousmatic Composition, a collection of seven pieces with a total duration of 69 minutes, designed for two distinct presentation formats: 1. Soundwalks via the Echoes.xyz application (six compositions), including: (1) MAHANAKHON (2) HOK-LOM-HOK-LOOK (3) THE CITY OF ANGELS (4) (IN)VISIBLE (5) FORGET-ME-NOT and (6) FRAGILITY; and 2. A site-specific sound installation (one composition): (7) ARE YOU LISTENING? These two formats provide an opportunity for listeners to explore sound within a space while actively engaging with the surrounding environment, making the listening experience an integral part of the place and moment. The interplay between pre-composed sound and real-time environmental sound transforms each listening experience into a site-responsive event, continuously shaped by the listener’s position, movement, and interaction with the spatial and acoustic conditions of the environment. Unlike fixed-media compositions with predetermined structures, this approach allows sound to remain in a state of flux, adapting in real time to the shifting conditions of its surroundings. Everyday ambient sounds emerge and intertwine with the composed elements, challenging perception and expanding the act of listening across both virtual space and physical space in ways that cannot be replicated. Listening, in this context, is not merely the reception of isolated sonic events but an active engagement with sound, space, and the ever-changing environment. The conceptual framework of Fragility was informed by extensive fieldwork conducted in collaboration with THEATRE TO GO, a performance art collective that explores innovative ways of integrating artistic expression into everyday life. Through site-specific artistic interventions, the group emphasizes the role of public spaces and community culture as active agents in creative processes. Fieldwork in Bangkok’s historic district revealed ongoing socio-cultural transformations, which became a central theme in the composition. The historic district exhibits multiple layers of fragility, including the physical vulnerability of old wooden structures, the socio-economic shifts reshaping traditional communities, and the fluctuating sonic environment reflecting urban transitions. The selection of this site for field recordings captures these elements, reinforcing the composition’s core theme of impermanence and urban instability. Through the interplay of site-specific recordings, acousmatic transformations, and spatial diffusion, the work seeks to translate these observations into an immersive auditory experience. The Echoes.xyz platform played a significant role in expanding the possibilities of immersive acousmatic composition. The application allows sound compositions to be triggered according to designated geographic locations, offering a responsive listening experience that changes in real time as the listener moves through different spaces. This enables a non-linear engagement with sound, where the sequence and interaction of sonic events are determined by the listener’s navigation of the environment. Meanwhile, the site-specific sound installation offers a contrasting approach, immersing listeners in an auditory environment where the acoustics of the space and ambient noise actively shape the sonic perception. The interplay between pre-composed sound and environmental acoustics ensures that no listening experiences are identical, reinforcing the unpredictable nature of sound in public spaces. This aspect of context-dependent listening challenges traditional notions of composition and performance, making each listening encounter uniquely shaped by spatial and situational conditions. Listeners are not merely passive recipients but actively participate in the process of constructing new meanings of sound. Fragility was publicly presented as part of the itinerant performance project STREET FOOD THEATRE, held in Bangkok’s historic district from April 4-10, 2024, between 6:00 PM to 8:30 PM. The project invited audiences to engage with the seven compositions in their intended forms: six compositions as soundwalks on Echoes.xyz and one composition as a site-specific sound installation.

Results: The study and creation of Fragility: An Immersive Acousmatic Composition clearly address the research question in terms of acousmatic concepts, compositional techniques, multi-layered arrangements, and the use of music technology to construct immersive listening experiences that interweave site-specific with composed sound. Moreover, it reveals the potential of acousmatic concepts in creating auditory experiences that unfold across both physical and virtual space. The composition consists of two presentation formats—soundwalk and site-specific sound installation—both of which began with fieldwork to study and record the acoustic characteristics of the site. Acousmatic concept was also applied in selecting sound materials for composition and in designing immersive listening experiences. The result is an immersive sonic experience that invites the listener to explore sound in relation to the environment, while engaging all senses in the perception of sound, time, and space.

Conclusions: Ultimately, the researcher hopes that this study will contribute to the expansion of acousmatic concepts in contemporary contexts and the further development of immersive acousmatic composition. Rather than being solely perceived through hearing, these experiences foster deeper connections between the listener, space, and the surrounding environment. The successful integration of acousmatic techniques with real-world spaces in this project serves as a foundation for future explorations in sound-based and artistic practices.