Similarities Between Brian Eno And Hildegard Westerkamp

Sound, space and place in soundscape compositions and ambient music reflect the relationship individuals have with the environment. Soundscape compositions and ambient music are asking the listener to take the time to hear sounds that they might typically ignore. In paying attention to sounds, individual’s will gain a new understanding about their surroundings. Work by artists such as Brian Eno and Hildegard Westerkamp demonstrate how sounds can convey a sense of place. The relationship between an individual and their surroundings has been important message for soundscape compositions and ambient music. Soundscapes and ambient music communicate “various sonic environments to the listener in order to foster awareness of sounds that are often ignored” (Truax, 2002, p.5). It is important that soundscape compositions “keep a clear degree of recognizability in its sounds” (Truax, 2002, p.6). This allows the listener to be able to understand where these sounds are coming from and gain a sense of place. Both soundscape compositions and “ambient music [are] intended to enhance” the sounds that are already in the environment (Eno, 1978, p.1). The soundscape compositions of Brian Eno and Hildegard Westerkamp immerse individuals into an environment,
as they amplify the sounds of a specific place. Brian Eno is an artist that uses the sounds from a space to create ambient music. For Eno, ambient music must be “ignorable as it is interesting” (Eno, 1978, p.1). This idea is used in Brian Eno’s Music for Airports as it was made to “alleviate irritation caused by going through airport terminals” (Lisius, 2010, p.633). Music for Airports produces a calm feeling, unlike the typical atmosphere that is produced in an airport. Brian Eno creates a new kind of experience for the listener. Brian Eno has explored the relationship between sound and space in many of his works. For Brian Eno “ambient music is intended to induce calm and a space to think” (Eno, 1978, p.1). Records like Music for Airports and On Land enhance the sounds of the environment. Brian Eno suggests that creating ambient music “is like composting: converting what would otherwise have been waste into nourishment” (Eno, 1982, p.3). Not many individuals take the time to listen to the sounds coming from their surroundings. Music for Airports is a record that allows an individual to hear the sound of an airport differently, and develop a different feeling towards it. Hildegard Westerkamp is another artist that uses sounds from the environment to convey a sense of place.
Westerkamp has made several works that use “environmental sounds in ingenious ways” (oxford music). One of Westerkamp’s soundscapes includes A Walk through the City, which “focuses on the people forgotten and unnoticed in today’s urban society” (Dirks, 1999, p.91). In Westerkamp’s work she is “highlighting the minute details of individual sonic events” (Dirks, 1999, p.91). Many of Westerkamp’s work explores the sounds that are often ignored by individuals. Westerkamp’s works demonstrate how soundscapes provide an opportunity for individuals to listen to their environments, and notice something they might not have had
before. In A Walk through the City, Westerkamp demonstrates how the “presence and activities in an environment will have an indisputable effect on its soundscape” (MacKenzie). In A Walk through the City “car sounds, squealing brakes, sirens, pinball machines, and street music” can be heard (Dirks, 1999, p.91). These sounds provide a realistic setting to the listener. As well, A Walk through the City “forces one to face sometimes disturbing material … without the chance to quickly dismiss or ignore” what is taking place in the environment. The soundscape is impelling the individual to pay attention to sounds they might not want to take the time to listen to. Both Brian Eno and Hildegard Westerkamp use the sounds from the environment to produce pieces that evoke a sense of place. In doing this, they provide the listener with an opportunity to pay attention to sounds they might ignore. Soundscapes and ambient music explore how depending on the place and time, the space can sound different. With soundscape compositions and ambient music there can begin to be more of an appreciation for sounds that are created in a specific environment.