AWSRG news & events
Aug
21
2022
Vale Ian Venables
With sadness we advise of the passing of one of our members, Ian Venables. Ian has been part of our group for nearly quarter of a century, attending many conferences over the years and co-ordinating the 2001 event at Lady Elliot Island. As a keen and knowledgeable birder, Ian also played a significant role in Birds Queensland. We extend our sympathies to his wife, Denise, and their family.
Ian’s funeral service will be held on Wednesday 24 August 2022 at Centenary Memorial Gardens, 353 Wacol Station Rd, Sumner Qld at 3.30pm.
Nov
2
2021
ASRA 2021 Conference – Survival and Revival, Nov 9-11
Australasian Sound Recordings Association
2021 Conference – Survival and Revival
9-11 November 2021
Online Conference
Program & Ticket Registration
https://www.asra.asn.au/asra-2021-conference-survival-and-revival
Announcing this year’s Australasian Sound Recordings Association’s conference Survival and Revival which will be held online from 9-11 November. The conference theme is about the creation, use and preservation of sound recordings during the present time of pandemic, climate emergency and social and political upheaval. The program will examine new and shared challenges, collaborations and opportunities associated with sound recordings. It is aimed at sound archivists, audio engineers, broadcasters, publishers, sound creatives and field recordists.
Of special interest is the inclusion of an afternoon session (Thursday 11th Nov) devoted to environmental sound that will be moderated by Andrew Skeoch. The program includes AWSRG members, Tony Baylis, Mike Fitzgerald, Vicki Hallett and Ros Bandt, who will discuss a range of topics about the use of field/sound recordings in their respective practices. Topics include field recording in remote parts of Australasia, sound art case studies, the four seasons after the megablaze and an interrogation into why we record. In addition, Nat Grant will investigate the kinds of histories and memories that can be shared through making and experiencing field recordings and sound walks, and Alana Blackburn will discuss the collaborative process between sound designer and performer using sound recordings, focusing on her recent work on Regrowth with composer Ros Bandt.
Presenter’s abstracts, session times and ticket registrations are available at the conference website.
Aug
26
2021
Les Gilbert, 1946 – 2021
Les in Spain by Gillian Chaplin
Les Gilbert – musician, composer, sound recordist and multimedia company director – has died on 17 August, aged 75.
Les was not formally a member of the AWSRG, focusing on his own extremely time-consuming work, however he has been an important figure in Australian nature recording. He attended the Rotamah Island gathering in the early pre-AWSRG days, and was a delegate at the World Forum for Acoustic Ecology conference in Melbourne in 2003, so many long-term AWSRG members will remember him. His 1990 Kakadu Billabong CD was a particular inspiration to myself.
This tribute to Les is offered by John Campbell, who did audio production and post-production work for him from 1992 to 2018. more »
Aug
20
2021
2021 AGM – September 11 @ 3pm (AEST)
You are warmly invited to join us online for our 2021 AGM, to be followed by a sharing of recordings.
Saturday, September 11th, 2021, 3pm (AEST).
To be hosted online via zoom, click here to register for the event and receive the meeting link.
Jun
27
2021
AWSRG Winter Listening Party
Join us for an AWSRG Winter Listening Party.
Wednesday, July 14th at 7.00pm AEST
This will an opportunity to gather, chat and share recordings. Contribute a recording or two to the evening by sending audio no later than 24hrs beforehand (possibly via WeTransfer.com) to: listeningearth (you know the symbol) gmail (dot) com.
Registration is free but required to access the meeting link
Apr
8
2021
Earth Law – an introduction by Michelle Maloney
As we face a climate changed world and transition away from our destructive reliance of fossil fuels, human societies need to create new ways of working together and nurturing the wider Earth community – the need for new governance systems has never been greater.
Our April online seminar will be an introduction to Earth jurisprudence, an exciting approach that can reshape the way we protect of nature.
April 21st at 7.00pm AEST
Feb
21
2021
South America – A Nature Sound Journey, with Juan Pablo Culasso
Our March seminar will take us to South America, with nature sound recordist Juan Pablo Culasso.
Jan
30
2021
Pied Butcherbird Song with Hollis Taylor
Our February AWSRG seminar will be a talk by Hollis Taylor on her research into the songs of the Pied Butcherbird.
Dec
5
2020
AudioWings Digital Archive Published
Over the last 20 or more years, AWSRG members have contributed recordings and articles to our journal, AudioWings.
The journals and accompanying CDs have been published (usually) biannually, and collectively contain a treasure trove of wildlife recordings and research, from this country and further afield.
Previously editions have been mailed out to financial members as they were produced, with limited back issues available. Now, all editions, from No.1 to the latest, No.42, are available online, for listening or digital download. This is the first time they’ve all been available together.
Collating the entire archive has involved members pooling their personal collections (“I’m missing the first six CDs, and who’s got the journal of Vol.8 No.1?”). My thanks to Tony, Jeff and Bob for their assistance in this, and to all past journal and CD editors, Fred, Bill, Sue, Tony and Vicki particularly.
While digitising CDs, entering track details and creating cover artwork, I’ve been aware that these recordings represent the history of the group. Past and departed members and their research interests are presented, often along with their spoken commentary, a poignant reminder for those who remember them personally.
Our AudioWings digital archive is hosted on Bandcamp, click here to view and listen. Each CD edition is available either to stream, or purchase and download, as a complete album or per track. Each download edition includes its corresponding journal in PDF format, plus recordist and equipment information.
We hope that having the complete AudioWings archive publicly available will boost the profile of the AWSRG and its history of participation and research.
Current financial members may download any editions for free. The member’s section of this site contains details of how to access free codes to enable this.
A partial index for the audio archive is also available via the member’s section. We’re currently updating it to a complete index of all recordings.
Jan
2
2020
AWSRG into a new decade
I’d like to be upbeat and wish all our AWSRG friends a happy new year. But I just feel heartbroken at the moment. We have members who I know live in beautiful locations that are now in the path of the flames, and all I can do is hope for their safety.
There are so many wild places I’ve recorded in over the decades – Waratah Flat and Errinundra Plateau, where I first began recording – now gone. Forests near Mallacoota, where I recorded recently, also gone. Those ancient Gondwanan forests, koalas, gliders, sooty owls with their lovely trilling calls…
It feels too vast a tragedy to really comprehend.
I know members will feel similarly. I’d like to suggest that we each consider what the AWSRG can contribute to the social discussion that will evolve out of this catastrophe. Maybe, once the immediate situation subsides, we can arrange an online hookup to share ideas, or just our feelings.
Meanwhile – is this young magpie giving voice to the new Australia, or a requiem for the old?
(If you can’t view this video, try ABC Sydney on Facebook, that’s where it was posted)