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The Atlas of Muddy Listening

The Atlas of Muddy Listening is a visual and sonic inventory of contemporary field recording practices.

It gathers the tools, gestures, and environments that make it possible to listen differently—to perceive what usually escapes the ear: the crackle of moss, the chewing of barnacles, the vibrations of photosynthesis. From handmade microphones to immersive multi-microphone systems, the Atlas documents a material culture of listening shaped by DIY experimentation, ecological urgency, and acoustic curiosity. Initiated by sound recordist and researcher Mélia Roger, the project brings together fieldwork, interviews, and sound recordings that reveal how our perception of the living world is being reshaped—technically, culturally, and affectively. The photographic work of Pauline Gouablin highlights the visual presence of these devices in context, while philosopher Pauline Nadrigny accompanies the project and pens a preface that situates it within broader questions of listening and environmental transformation.