ABSTRACT
Several art forms have emerged since the 1960s with the expressed aim of developing a critical relationship with the natural environment. Among these is soundscape composition, born in the wake of environmental awareness in the West. This chapter examines pieces submitted to the Water Soundscape Composition Contest (2012). Several were recorded in the Nordic region, emphasizing the genre-specific element of personally made field recordings used in the works. This chapter explores the kinds of interpretative frameworks given in the descriptions of the compositions, and asks how the ecocritical relationship between listener and environment is sonically constructed.
