Glacier Lamentation – The Sound of Climate Change

Through trailblazing sound art, showcased across multiple platforms and in various formats, Glacier Lamentation blends art and hard science to highlight the effects of global warming, stirring emotions, fostering engagement, and motivating action in our response to the climate crisis.

Glacier Lamentation (GL) is an interdisciplinary artistic research project hosted within the Norwegian Academy of Music, and led by professors Torben Snekkestad and Morten Qvenild, along with PhD fellow Anja Lauvdal. The project explores how climate change, particularly the melting of glaciers, can be expressed through sound art to foster emotional and multisensory immersion with the climate crisis.

Beginning with the transformation of glacier field recordings into poetic electroacoustic soundscapes, the project will also generate a hybrid presentation of artistic and scientific discourse, as well as sound sculptures and cinematic works. GL seeks to engage audiences compassionately in the climate debate, emphasizing the power of sound to evoke empathy and inspire action.

Expected Outcomes

• Hybrid artistic and scientific presentation format (climate conferences and beyond)
• Sonaforms - tactile sonic objects by J. Freeman (exhibitions, presentations, workshops)
• Audiovisual Cinematic Work (exhibitions, presentations, concerts)
• Album (streaming and LP format)
• Documentary (media, TV, web, festivals)
• Climate LABS - students and others (workshops, community events, collective participation)
• Webpage (knowledge communication and outreach)