Fragments of sonic extinction 2023: OVERBREEDING
The natural soundscapes of our world become purer, but how about the sonic extinction within human habitats? Beni Brachtel’s composition inverts the main theme of Fragments of Sonic Extinction by confronting the listener with the human made sound of extinction and not by the caused extinction of sound. He takes recordings of a French Bulldog as a point of departure and transforms them into an eerie and almost terrifying composition for solo cello. The piece focuses on the French Bulldog and the sound of its omnipresent heavy breathing, which is caused by systematic overbreeding. Breathing difficulties are an all-too-common problem for dogs of certain breeds. Selective breeding for physical characteristics has resulted in a range of health problems for certain species. An apparent perversity comes to the fore: Humans produce sick animals and consequently enjoy the sound of their struggling rattle, within their four walls. The French Bulldog might not be extinct as long as humans exist, but its breathing will always expose the human’s active acts changing the conditions of nature.
Curated by Kalas Liebfried