Humans have always utilized animals in the production of art. Sound artists have long been engaging with the sounds of the natural world. Sounds of oceans, wind rushing through mountains, bird calls, and insects have not only intrigued artists but have also inspired great works. Interspecies sound art or art “existing or occurring between species” is a term used frequently. However, we as humans do not view animals/insects/ as partners in our art/sound work or as equal participants in our compositions. Their sonance touches our sensibilities, but too often only brushes the surface of our interconnectedness. In an anthropocentric world the human voice, specifically the male white voice, is held as a standard of knowledge and importance, but what about other voices such as plants, animals, and the environment that are generally viewed as background noise? In the canon of sound art and audio what does it mean to have a voice, and who has one? Who do we as a culture determine to be an authority capable of speaking for others? Of course, this has been the subject of much debate – which human voices are heard and seen? The movements that question the white male western dominance of human society and call for justice and equality for all the human “others” through racial, cultural, and gender/sexuality equality remain an important and fundamental work in progress. Interspecies sound art and the ecofeminist movement are closely tied to “encourage interconnectedness with our environment and address the subjugation of women and marginalized peoples.” Through an ecofeminist lens, one has to acknowledge and examine that issues of social and environmental justice are all byproducts of the same patriarchal, androcentric, and anthropocentric problem.
Anthropocentric Thinking – That humans are the apex of consciousness and life