Acoustic Territories is a field-based initiative exploring acoustic ecology within coastal and infrastructural environments through collective listening workshops and publications. In Gorinchem, the project will focus on listening as a means to investigate the invisible layer of the river environment. By tuning into the electromagnetic fields (EMF) emitted by power lines, pumps, vessels, and other infrastructural systems, participants will explore how energy, water, and human presence are interwoven in the everyday landscape.
Workshop: building DIY EMF microphones
In small groups, participants will collaboratively build simple, low-cost EMF microphones capable of detecting electromagnetic radiation from everyday devices and environmental sources. Each kit includes:
A copper induction coil for EMF detection, a shielding and amplification circuit to stabilise and strengthen the signal, and a mini preamp for direct connection to portable recorders or smartphones.
Participants will work together through the construction process, learning to tune and test their devices in situ. Each group will then keep their EMF microphones to continue sensing and recording their local surroundings beyond the workshop. The process combines collective listening, electronics, and fieldwork, forming a participatory citizen art-science practice that extends perception beyond the audible.
Field studies
Participants will join small collective field sessions at selected sites, including riverbanks, bridges, sluices, and mooring areas, to record both audible sounds and electromagnetic spectra. Using their custom-built EMF microphones, the groups will trace the invisible currents that animate the river’s infrastructure. These recordings will reveal how technical and natural systems overlap, producing complex layers of resonance and interference that shape the local sonic ecology.
Presentation and continuation
Collected EMF recordings and field notes will be developed into a site-responsive presentation from the workshops.
Artist website:
https://unknownkim.com
Research page docArtes program:
https://www.docartes.be/en/people/minji-kim
Re-shaping t/dunes, Minji Kim, 2022
Site specific sound-performance