Atmosphere of Sound: Sonic Art in Times of Climate Disruption

If the scale and complexity of climate change exceeds the limits of human perception, how can artists represent it? Atmosphere of Sound examines how sound-based artists, responding to the climate crisis, have found a unique point of entry to this representational challenge. Sound art, as a medium, evades and challenges the certainty often associated with the sense of sight. The inherent ambiguities of sound can help audiences understand the rapidly shifting state of the climate and its effects on the physical world. Immersive, interactive installations, live performances, and videos by 13 artists—including Bill Fontana’s site-specific installation Silent Echoes - Notre Dame; Katie Grinnan’s sound sculptures; Iman Person’s Wanderlust, one of several on-campus sound walks; and performances by artists such as Patricia Cadavid, Amber Stucke, and Nina Waisman—activates the campus environment to engage audiences in deep reflection on the climate crisis.