Personal Information
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Given name: Jesse









Surname: Allison









Email: jtallison@lsu.edu









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Your contribution
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Title: Biophilic Simulacra - Creating a Tool for Speculative Soundscape









Format: Project presentation (2)









Main language: English









Abstract:
The bio-mass speculator is a soundscape generation tool that stems from a collaboration with the New York Botanical Garden. Their [Welikia Project](https://www.welikia.org/) aims to illuminate the rich ecological history that underwrites the development of New York City – documenting how the ecosystems have evolved up to the present. In Biophilic Simulacra a bio-mass speculator imagines a similar time lapse through sound. By creating models of flora and fauna, behaviors, and environmental actors, the Welikia data is used to re-create soundscapes that may have existed in the past. This first instance of Biophilic Simulacra is a proof of concept mixing site recordings with re-constructed situations and environments. To make an engaging composition there are a few reveals of the process mixed in for good measure. A good recording is like a time capsule – this capsule, of speculative time and place.










Link to the Exposition :  (https://www.researchcatalogue.net/view/4226434/4226435)









Image: https://test.sar2026.ie/system/files/webform/submit_contribution/222/bio-five.png









Short biographies of the presenter(s):
- Jesse Allison teaches experimental approaches to sonic art and music through technology.  His work centers around the idea that computer interactivity, used wisely, can produce new and engaging forms of art. As a member of the Center for Computation & Technology's Cultural Computing focus area, he performs research into ways that technology can expand what is possible in the arts. As an artist, Allison has disseminated works around the globe through live performance art, interactive installations, and virtual and hybrid world interventions. He is currently head of the Experimental Music & Digital Media program at Louisiana State University and Director of the educational outreach – STEM Pathway in Digital Design & Emergent Media.










Previous presentations or iterations of the research:
The first iteration of the composition series Biophilic Simulacra was premiered at the LSU Faculty New Music Concert, Digital Media Center Theatre, Baton Rouge, LA. 2026-01-31.














Requirements
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Additional information:
This project is in 3 parts: an artistic research project to devise a methodology for combining eco-acoustic source recordings to create speculative soundscapes; a set of software built in MaxMSP to combine soundbeds, actors and model behaviors; and a resulting composition that explored ways to successfully combine source recordings and emulated ambisonic sounds. The presentation will cover the insights learned from the compositional process.










Spatial and technical requirements :
Projection for presentation and a good sound system for presentation of the sonic art. The piece was composed for 7.1.4, and can be re-exported for other surround arrangements. If a surround audio system is not available, good stereo sound will suffice. 










Potential risks or ethical concerns:
No ethical concerns. 










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