Alice Ladenburg

Sounds from -2.707659, -60.386779 (+/-) | 03-17.04.26 (2026) 
Alice Ladenburg and Jeremia Reichen

One place, two days, fourteen ways of listening. A collection of field recordings taken by Labsonora residents deep in the Brazilian Amazon. Whilst showcasing the depth of this sonic landscape, it represents just an infinitesimal fraction of a 6 million km2 rainforest that has existed for 10 million years—a fleeting whisper of the subliminal voice of the Amazon.

Audio (09’00)  | A collage of sounds recorded by hydrophones, contact mics, field recorders and radio antennae, one after another—untouched, unmixed. Listen with good headphones and eyes closed.

We were an eclectic group of people invited by Labverde to explore the voice of the Amazon; sharing an intangible experience, moving through the same powerful space—our collective breath mingling and becoming intertwined with the waters of the jungle. We also perceived, related to, and communed with the forest as individuals, each orienting our own selves and practices in this extraordinary environment. As we listened to the same space, we heard the world differently.

There were as many distinct methods of recording sounds as there were residents, each setting out to capture something of their own sonic experience. But is it possible, in this indescribably profuse environment, to really ‘capture’ anything at all?
Or is the essence intangible, touching us in an evaporating moment—something that can’t, and shouldn’t, be confined as a record? We all felt our way through; following sounds like scents, finding a way to reach out and record, in order to touch them, to hint at what we heard. 

This spectrogram offers a visual description of the fourteen recordings, separately and together. We can see—as well as hear—the abundant biodiveristy of the forest through the depth and variation of it’s sonic makeup. We can identify tune-less hums and rumbles of water and thunderstorms, single events: a waterdrop, a click, a wingbeat, and an acoustic space divided into niches—where each species finds a tone to communicate with others amongst the ceaseless sound. The image also unveils what is beyond our human capacity to hear—sound visible in coloured bands that are silent on listening. We are presented with measurable data about the rainforest, but individual choices of subject, microphone, distance and gain are also written into this picture. 

Thinking through sound using both curious human ears and minds and technical analysis, allows for nuance and interconnectivity; a space to gain scientific insights whilst remaining present with the impossibility of knowing a whole.

Concept, text, photography: Alice Ladenburg | Sound composition, editing, spectogram: Jeremia Reichen

Contributors: Marco Rip, Manu Meier, Pablo Torres Goméz, Fernando Godoy, Ina Otzko, Jeremia Reichen, Vicki Hallett, Whitney Richardson, Alice Ladenburg, Alessandra Indino, Sebastian Robert, Emma Bartram, Carole Facal, Valéria Castillo-Vacasmo

With thanks to Labverde