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The greatest biodiversity in the world is also the greatest diversity of sound in the world. In the Amazon, many voices, songs, noises, music and other sounds echo in their most varied frequencies. Sounds produced by its rich diversity of people or by the biological diversity of ecosystem dynamics, besides noises made by other environmental and anthropogenic phenomena.
There is an acoustic potential for dealing with the Amazon’s socio-environmental issues. Sound creation and the development of musical thought can be a powerful immaterial weapon to disrupt pre-existing orders, expanding the possibilities of the silenced, the inaudible and even making perceptible what was invisible.
Even though the music industry has one of the largest environmental footprints within the creative economy, music and sound art has stood out as a powerful ally in the fight against climate change, due to its ability to generate emotion, empathy and well-being. At the same time sound awareness promote memory activation, the expansion of our cognitive capability, mobilizing people and collectives to take action.
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IF SOUND IS A FORCE FOR PRESERVING THE AMAZON´S SOCIO-BIODIVERSITY, IN WHAT WAYS CAN ARTISTS AND MUSICIANS LEAD THE FIGTH AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE?
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In the forest, silence does not exist. The tropical soundscape is dense, intense, and vibrant, yet surprisingly organized. The acoustic space is divided into specific frequency bands, known as acoustic niches, where each species finds the right tone to communicate with its peers. As a result, voices rarely overlap or interfere, weaving together into a finely tuned network of sounds. The result is a natural symphony, in which the diversity of life is expressed like an invisible orchestra.
At the same time, the oral dimension of Indigenous culture places sound at the very heart of knowledge transmission, memory-making, and the affirmation of cultural identity. Beyond the extraordinary linguistic diversity of the Amazon, many forest communities also employ forms of “sonic language,” communicating through whistles or by echoing phrases on musical instruments such as flutes and drums. These auditory practices broaden the horizons of expression and highlight the profound interconnection between sound, culture, and nature.
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Labsonora is a collaborative and immersive residency program, which will take place in April 2026, for musical composition and sound production based on sensitive listening to environments and research in the field of oral culture, ancestral music, bioacoustics, and field recording. A group of musicians, curators, ecologists, anthropologists, activists, and non-human entities will be encouraged to compose together, building a new soundscape for the Amazon.
The residency program’s main goal is to explore how sound and music can promote environmental justice, weaving together dimensions of sustainability, socio-biodiversity, innovation, and climate. Within the expanded territory of the Forest, diverse voices will resound—engaging the body, fostering intersections, and nurturing care for life through practices of sound and listening.
Labsonora is developed in a collaboration between LABVERDE and The National Institute of Amazonian Research (INPA) and is supported by a mix of partner’s institutions, artists and international grants.
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