Sonic Intimacy: Voice, Species, Technics (or, How To Listen to the World)

SonicIntimacyasksuswho―orwhat―deservestohaveavoice,beyondthehuman.Arguingthatourearsarefartoonarrowlyattunedtoourownspecies,thebookexploresfourdifferenttypesofvoices:thecybernetic,thegendered,thecreaturely,andtheecological.Throughbothaconceptualframeworkandaseriesofcasestudies,DominicPettmantrackssomeofthewaysinwhichthesevoicesintersectandinteract.Hedemonstrateshowintimacyisforgedthroughtheear,perhapsevenmorethanthroughanyothersense,mode,ormedium.Thevoice,then,iswhatcreatesintimacy,bothfleetingandlasting,notonlybetweenpeople,butalsobetweenanimals,machines,andevennaturalelements:thosepresumednottohaveavoiceinthefirstplace.Takentogether,themanifold,material,actualvoicesoftheworld,whetherprimarilynaturalortechnological,areacomplexcacophonythatisdesperatelytryingtotellussomethingabouttherapidlyfailinghealthoftheplanetanditsinhabitants.AsPettmancautions,wewoulddowelltolisten.