In the Field: The Art of Field Recording

This is a collection of interviews with contemporary sound artists who use field recording in their work. From its early origins in wildlife sound and in ethnographic research, field recording has expanded over the last few decades into a diverse range of practices which explore and investigate aspects of the lived environment, from the microscopic to the panoramic, through the medium of recorded sound. These conversations explore the fundamental issues that underlie the development of field recording as the core of their activity. Recurring themes include early motivations, aesthetic preferences, the audible presence of the recordist and the nature of the field.

This book contains 18 interviews with artists who use field recording as the core of their practice: Andrea Polli, Annea Lockwood, Antye Greie, Budhaditya Chattopadhyay, Christina Kubisch, Davide Tidoni, Felicity Ford, Francisco López, Hildegard Westerkamp, Hiroki Sasajima, Ian Rawes, Jana Winderen, Jez Riley French, Lasse-Marc Riek, Manuela Barile, Peter Cusack, Steven Feld and Viv Corringham.

The symposium ‘In the Field’ celebrating this book and extending the discussion on field recording, was held 15-16 February 2013 at the British Library.

A book launch for In the Field was held in 2013 at London College of Communication.

First published 2013
Reprinted with corrections 2014
Reprinted 2016

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