The Aelectrosonic and Energetic Environments
Douglas Kahn · 2013
Given that mechanics (acoustics) and electromagnetism are basic forms of energy and that naturally occurring energies of both types can be heard in telegraph and telephone lines, an electromagnetic equivalent of the Aeolian is introduced—the Aelectrosonic—to account for aesthetic and musical engagements of nature sounds in telecommunications technologies. The distinction of transduction-in-degree versus transduction-in-kind is introduced as a means to understanding the movement from one energy state to the next in physical and physiological settings. The vagary between nature and technology in the Aelectrosonic is applied to notions of acoustical and electronic musical instruments. Naturally occurring Aelectrosonics are discussed in terms of the sounds of atmospheric electricity, polar auroras, and magnetic storms.