2022 DMSA graduate Esme Wright joins us for this month’s feature to discuss sound ecology and audio forensics.

Three words that describe you as a creative person?

EW: Wistful, curious and weird

When did you start working with sound and music?

EW: I got curious when I was about 11 or 12, mostly about rhythm which kickstarted my drumming career, but in terms of the more experimental sounds, that became rooted when I was about 15 and gradually flowed throughout my life. When I began pursuing an interest in technology, that began pushing boundaries of what I could make with sound. Artistically, music has been a journal for me for a long time and a form of self soothing, and I feel lucky that working with sound has satisfied many facets of my mind.

In what ways has the DMSA course supported or helped you to develop into who you are today creatively and professionally?

EW: DMSA gave me a lot of freedom to create projects that would push me in new directions, while also retaining some realism about what I could achieve within limits. I found a good balance on the course and a new confidence as a result, I also treat my ideas with more attention now, and solve problems with creativity.

Can you tell us a few words about VivaSonar?

EW: I’m still imagining my final project, and ways to take it further or create sub-projects. As I found so much comfort in creating a safe reactive space, I feel that exploring sensory dimensions and sound ecology offers endless possibilities.

I’d like VivaSonar to be a more immersive living and breathing environment, which must be maintained, but in turn offers a peaceful meditative space for the participant. I can use the same functions for that while also developing it with additional code. This is to support the integration of technology to assist our living and our planet, and prevent an overcrowded soundscape.

What are your plans for the near future?

EW: As well as VivaSonar, I’d like to form a project around Audio Forensics. I work in CyberSecurity, and I feel there is an interesting crossover there. There are numerous threats existing under the surface or visual sphere. Audio Steganography and using soundwaves to alter accelerometer readings are viable ways to disrupt data, and deep fakes are becoming difficult to distinguish between. To follow on from VivaSonar in regards to how sound can help us appease or find balance in our environment, I’d like to explore ways that sound may corrupt our environment or understanding.