The sensory experience [of light and sound] are phenomena of the weather-world. They belong to the fluxes of the medium, not to the conformation of surfaces. -Tim Ingold
These days it is hard not to hear the word “climate” in association with “change”, “crisis”, “breakdown” or “catastrophe”. With regard to rapid shifts in the planetary climate and the living systems contained within, humanity is at the precipice of heading deep into uncharted territory not experienced last ice age. For this release there is an eerie irony in focusing on the sound of industrial climate control systems, the kind found in all contemporary buildings. These systems are designed to provide the feeling of comfort and security through technological and mechanical regulation. In effect, the purpose of artificial climate systems is to make you forget about or at least be desensitised to the ever changing dynamics of planetary weather, not only for the sake of the inhabitants but also for the building itself. As we live and breathe much of our lives in such environments, it should be understood that there may be secondary effects on us as inhabitants of artificial climates. At the very least these controlled climates act as a psychological buffer in understanding the planetary climate we depend on or in more extreme cases, become the very life support systems some people depend on in relation to where you live (here I’m thinking of relief from increasingly extreme heat waves). To what degree climate control benefits us or isolates us from the weathering world is a question that has been on my mind for some time, particularly in relation to their high energy consumption, which more often than not, contributes to greater climate issues.
The subject matter of these recordings is not so much the regulated climates of buildings but the sonic effects of the controlling system itself. This can range from spaces where the workings of the ventilation can be clearly perceived, to the machinery within the labyrinthine mechanical rooms that host the system deep within the bowls of a building. If we are not hearing artificial climates, then what is it we are listening to? Climate control systems (or heating and ventilation systems) are made up of a complex interconnected array of thermostats, computers, compressors, fans, ducts, filters etc. All of this operates in the service of regulating the temperature, moisture, purity and circulation of air. The more demanding the climate regulation, the more complex the system. While I have some architectural education, much of my fascination with the sound climate control systems comes from a long standing interest in exploring the connections between people and the environments they inhabit through listening. Most of these recordings can be tied to giving workshops and acting in situ to understand the various levels of the context in which we work. In the interest of participants and the kind efforts of organisers I was able to gain access to several large climate control rooms in museums and concert halls (which are generally off limits for ‘security reasons’). I find museums particularly interesting especially ones that house archives, where much of the reason for climate control has more to do with storing the objects within than the people who work or visit.
While listening, consider these relations and contradictions, and the level of climate control in the spaces you inhabit. Allow yourself to be enveloped in the textures, tones and fields of noise that accompany climate control systems. Compare these sounds to how one may sense the wild open system of the planetary climate otherwise.
A (living) system can be defined as something that is made possible through the interaction of multiple processes. The certainty you gain is paid for by the consequences of not having understood the systemic process –Nora Bateson
Album released December 1, 2024
Recording locations:
CSW – Centrum Sztuki Wspólczesnej, Torun Poland 2011
KUMU – Eesti Kunstimuuseum, Tallinn Estonia 2015
Parking Garage – Vabaduse Valjak, Tallinn Estonia 2017
Great Amber – Liepajas koncertzale “Lielais dzintars”, Liepaja Latvia 2023
Special thanks: Krzysztof Gutfranski, KUMU, MPLab
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