ENG: Over the past year, I have actively collaborated with Silke Lichtenberg, a violin maker and environmental resource manager. Together, we organized the MMM conference and are currently preparing several manuscripts for joint publications. These include the MMM conference proceedings/edited volume on natural resource use and sustainability in musical instrument making, a chapter about applied and transdisciplinary research in this context, and a paper on local and global steering mechanisms in the management of vital resources for instrument making. I would like to highlight two of Silke’s publications, developed with her colleagues. The first is about their scrollytelling device, which explores the story of string instrument bows. This publication allows readers to delve into the interconnectedness of nature, culture, and music by focusing on Pernambuco or pau-brasil wood used in bow making. The second publication introduces their MusEcology tool, an audience-friendly application that allows users to explore the materials used in symphonic orchestra instruments, as well as the associated species and their conservation status.
ESP: A lo largo del último año, he colaborado activamente con Silke Lichtenberg, una constructora de violines y experta en gestión medioambiental y manejo de recursos naturales. Juntos organizamos nuestra conferencia “Music-Making-Materials” y actualmente estamos preparando varios manuscritos para publicaciones conjuntas. Estos incluyen el libro editado/actas de conferencia sobre el uso de recursos naturales y la sostenibilidad en la fabricación de instrumentos musicales, un capítulo sobre investigación aplicada y transdisciplinaria en este contexto, y un artículo sobre los mecanismos de gestión locales y globales en la administración de recursos vitales para la fabricación de instrumentos. Me gustaría destacar dos publicaciones de Silke, desarrolladas junto con sus colegas. La primera trata sobre su dispositivo de ‘scrollytelling’, que explora la historia del arco para instrumentos de cuerda. Esta publicación permite a los lectores profundizar en la interconexión de la naturaleza, la cultura y la música, centrándose en la madera de pernambuco o palo brasil utilizada en la fabricación de arcos. La segunda publicación presenta su herramienta MusEcology, una aplicación para el público que permite explorar los materiales utilizados en los instrumentos de una orquesta sinfónica, así como las especies asociadas y su estado de conservación.
PUBLICATION 1:
Kusnick, J., Lichtenberg, S. & S. Jänicke (2023) “Visualization-based Scrollytelling of Coupled Threats for Biodiversity, Species and Music Cultures”. Workshop on Visualisation in Environmental Sciences. (https://doi.org/10.2312/envirvis.20231112)
Abstract: Biodiversity loss, land use change and international trade are the main causes for an increasing number of endangered species. As a consequence resource scarcity due to endangered species also threatens cultural heritage. To depict such coupled threats and their interconnections for the specific case of musical instruments of a symphony orchestra, the MusEcology project developed a platform to analyze dependencies between musical instrument manufacturing for symphony orchestras, and threat assessments to plant and animal species used as resources. Non-experts are rarely aware of this intertwined threat. Therefore, low-threshold information distribution is urgently needed. We extended the MusEcology platform with scrollytelling functionalities helping domain experts drafting stories that use the visualizations of different dimensions throughout various zoom levels. We outline the utility of our approach with a particular scrollytelling example of the threatened pau-brasil wood (Paubrasilia echinata (Lam.) Gagnon, H.C.Lima & G.P.Lewis), endemic to the Brazilian Mata Atlântica, ever since 1800 used for sticks of high-quality string instrument bows. The story of the natural material from forests to instrument-making workshops, musicians and audiences is told through informative texts, interviews, sound recordings, photographs, and schematic drawings. By bringing together expertise from different fields, this story highlights the interconnected dependencies between ecosystems, culture, and music. The interactive storytelling experiences are aimed at casual users and policy makers to raise awareness of the underlying complexity of biodiversity and instrument making, to support related and induce necessary decision making processes, and to unfold possible pathways towards a more harmonic and sustainable music ecosystem.
PUBLICATION 2:
Kusnick, J., Lichtenberg, S., Wiegreffe, D., Huber-Sannwald, E., Nehren, U. & S. Jänicke (2024) “Visual Analysis of Diversity and Threat Status of Natural Materials for Musical Instruments”. Frontiers in Environmental Science. (https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2024.1406376)
Abstract: A classical symphony orchestra consists of up to 29 musical instruments manufactured from up to 758 distinct natural materials. The interrelationships between the extraction of raw materials for instrument making, the international trade conditions, and the protection status of endangered species and their ecosystems are highly complex and have yet to be sufficiently scientifically examined. However, rapidly progressing climate and ecological change call for sustainable solutions. To address this challenging task, we present MusEcology, a new interactive decision support system based on visualizations. The interactive visualizations offer entry points for users of various backgrounds to explore the interrelationships between musical instruments, natural resources and ecosystems. The tool’s fundamental objectives are to guarantee that the (1) data processing correlates related data resources, that (2) visual interfaces and interaction schemes encourage new interdisciplinary research on complex systems interactions, and that (3) high-level decision-making is supported to identify alternative pathways towards sustainable instrument making.
The Musical Bamboos of the Bolivian Andes 