Attune: Audio Explorations of Environmental Stories

Presenter's Name(s)

Leah KelleherFollow

Conference Year

January 2021

Abstract

Attune explores the philosophies, ideas, and professional work of environmental scientists and thinkers through sonic storytelling methods. The aim of this project was to exercise the emotional power of storytelling and share the voices of those shaping modern environmentalism. Each audio vignette considers the intersection of ecology, art, and activism through semi-structured, recorded interviews and field recordings of Vermont natural spaces. Interview conversations guided the story-making process. Virtual interviews were collected, transcribed, coded by theme, and organized into a dynamic script. Powerful audio was mixed with voiceover and thoughtful sound design to create five twenty to thirty-minute podcast episodes. The editing process was collaborative; final drafts of each episode were shared with those featured in them for feedback and critique. Finalized vignettes were published online on a variety of podcast listening platforms and the University of Vermont Reporting and Documentary Storytelling webpage.

Primary Faculty Mentor Name

Richard Watts

Status

Undergraduate

Student College

Rubenstein School of Environmental and Natural Resources

Program/Major

Environmental Studies

Primary Research Category

Food & Environment Studies

Secondary Research Category

Arts & Humanities

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Attune: Audio Explorations of Environmental Stories

Attune explores the philosophies, ideas, and professional work of environmental scientists and thinkers through sonic storytelling methods. The aim of this project was to exercise the emotional power of storytelling and share the voices of those shaping modern environmentalism. Each audio vignette considers the intersection of ecology, art, and activism through semi-structured, recorded interviews and field recordings of Vermont natural spaces. Interview conversations guided the story-making process. Virtual interviews were collected, transcribed, coded by theme, and organized into a dynamic script. Powerful audio was mixed with voiceover and thoughtful sound design to create five twenty to thirty-minute podcast episodes. The editing process was collaborative; final drafts of each episode were shared with those featured in them for feedback and critique. Finalized vignettes were published online on a variety of podcast listening platforms and the University of Vermont Reporting and Documentary Storytelling webpage.