Electroacoustic Soundscape Journeys: Soundwalking through Works by Hildegard Westerkamp

This article examines representations of physical movement in works by Canadian composer and acoustic ecologist Hildegard Westerkamp (b. 1946). Particular attention is given to Westerkamp’s work with soundwalking, an exercise in which the main purpose is listening to a specific environment while moving through it. Scholars have discussed approaches to soundwalking, including Westerkamp’s engagement with the practice. However, there has been limited discussion of the influence of soundwalking on Westerkamp’s compositions. I posit that Westerkamp’s early soundwalks and radio series (Soundwalking, aired 1978–1979) inform her later electroacoustic works in two ways: the sensation of self-movement through a physical space and isolated moments exploring the acoustic nuances of certain sound sources. To support this claim, this article juxtaposes Lighthouse Park Soundwalk (1977) with Talking Rain (1998). Both works re-create an excursion through a temperate rainforest in the Pacific Northwest of North America. However, where Lighthouse Park Soundwalk presents unprocessed excerpts from a recorded walk, Talking Rain features extended sections of processed environmental sounds, calling into question where a physical walk ends and an imagined one begins.