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Michael Akstaller, "20hz - 20.000hz", 13 min 06 sec, Elbe (near Geesthacht), 2024
Speaker text (English translation)
“The following recordings are hydroacoustic recordings of the Elbe River from 2022. Synchronized recordings were made from four different positions and distances of a construction site, which was conducted as a maintenance measure for the Geestacht lock. The recordings were made to document the acoustic emissions of the construction measure and to draw conclusions about the impact on the ecological environment. The investigation specifically focused on the migratory behavior of fish. The Geestacht lock is the only transverse structure in the Elbe River. One of the largest fish ladders in Europe was constructed to enable the fish to migrate. If there are restrictions here, hundreds of thousands of fish cannot reach their spawning grounds upstream. One possible restriction is that the noise from the construction might deter the fish, causing them physical harm such as hearing loss or fatal injuries to the swim bladder or other gas- filled organs.
Fish can hear. There are two types of hearing fish, hearing generalists and hearing specialists. Both are sensitive to sound, with hearing specialists generally having a more sensitive hearing ability. In addition to the ears, the otolith (ear stone), the swim bladder, and the lateral line organs are also responsible for detecting sound, expanding the sensitive frequency spectrum.
Research on the hearing ability of these animals is very complex and is only conducted under laboratory conditions. We cannot fully comprehend how a fish actually hears. There are many studies on the psychology of hearing, such as acoustic spatial constructions and sensitization phenomena. However, scientists like Arthur Popper also believe that fish in the wild have a different acoustic perception than laboratory studies suggest. Unfortunately, there is a lack of observations and data in the natural environments of these animals to gain more accurate insights.
We can hardly see the animals when they are exposed to noise, and we cannot communicate with them or put ourselves in their position. All living beings have hearing thresholds, which differ essentially from one another. The hearing threshold indicates the sound level at which the living being can hear a frequency for the first time. The hearing threshold of fish is determined in laboratories. The dimensions of the test tanks and the electronics used are responsible for the fact that studies on the hearing thresholds of fish are not conducted below 100 hertz.
DIN 18406 regulates the recording and evaluation criteria for underwater sound events. The frequency range to be recorded must be between 20 hertz and 20,000 hertz, the hearing threshold of humans. Sound waves below 20 hertz are referred to as infrasound and can be filtered out. Sound is what we hear. And there is sound protection only for that. Lower frequencies, which can be physically measured, therefore exist and cause damage, are not considered.”
“The following recordings are hydroacoustic recordings of the Elbe River from 2022. Synchronized recordings were made from four different positions and distances of a construction site, which was conducted as a maintenance measure for the Geestacht lock. The recordings were made to document the acoustic emissions of the construction measure and to draw conclusions about the impact on the ecological environment. The investigation specifically focused on the migratory behavior of fish. The Geestacht lock is the only transverse structure in the Elbe River. One of the largest fish ladders in Europe was constructed to enable the fish to migrate. If there are restrictions here, hundreds of thousands of fish cannot reach their spawning grounds upstream. One possible restriction is that the noise from the construction might deter the fish, causing them physical harm such as hearing loss or fatal injuries to the swim bladder or other gas- filled organs.
Fish can hear. There are two types of hearing fish, hearing generalists and hearing specialists. Both are sensitive to sound, with hearing specialists generally having a more sensitive hearing ability. In addition to the ears, the otolith (ear stone), the swim bladder, and the lateral line organs are also responsible for detecting sound, expanding the sensitive frequency spectrum.
Research on the hearing ability of these animals is very complex and is only conducted under laboratory conditions. We cannot fully comprehend how a fish actually hears. There are many studies on the psychology of hearing, such as acoustic spatial constructions and sensitization phenomena. However, scientists like Arthur Popper also believe that fish in the wild have a different acoustic perception than laboratory studies suggest. Unfortunately, there is a lack of observations and data in the natural environments of these animals to gain more accurate insights.
We can hardly see the animals when they are exposed to noise, and we cannot communicate with them or put ourselves in their position. All living beings have hearing thresholds, which differ essentially from one another. The hearing threshold indicates the sound level at which the living being can hear a frequency for the first time. The hearing threshold of fish is determined in laboratories. The dimensions of the test tanks and the electronics used are responsible for the fact that studies on the hearing thresholds of fish are not conducted below 100 hertz.
DIN 18406 regulates the recording and evaluation criteria for underwater sound events. The frequency range to be recorded must be between 20 hertz and 20,000 hertz, the hearing threshold of humans. Sound waves below 20 hertz are referred to as infrasound and can be filtered out. Sound is what we hear. And there is sound protection only for that. Lower frequencies, which can be physically measured, therefore exist and cause damage, are not considered.”
Using hydroacoustic recordings, I study the hearing spectrum of fish and the propagation of sound introduced into the river by construction activities. How do humans dominate their ecosystem through acoustic emissions, and to what extent are different habitats acoustically interconnected? To what extent must we critically re-examine connections between humans and non-humans, and how should we redefine our evaluation criteria based on non-human sensitivities? The recordings are part of a multi-year research collaboration investigating the ecological continuity of rivers using auditory parameters.
credits: Mina Reischer, voice
credits: Mina Reischer, voice
Michael Akstaller deals with flow research, (hydro)acoustics, and acoustic research as well as the relationships between sound and space, movement and performance. His scientific, artistic, and curatorial practice is often interdisciplinary and collaborative and has been shown at the German Pavilion (Biennale Arte, Venice, 2024), Lenbachhaus Munich (2021, 2022), Staatliche Kunsthalle Baden-Baden (2021, 2022), and HKW Berlin (2021), among others. Together with Jan St. Werner, he initiated the Class for Dynamic Acoustic Research at the Academy of Fine Arts Nuremberg in 2017, which has been operating as an independent collective under the name DAF since 2021. He lives in Nuremberg and Berlin.
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