About
Anton Spice is a writer and artist-researcher interested in how sound connects and reveals social, cultural, industrial and environmental processes.
In 2022, he produced Echo Location, a 14-track compilation and listening event based on a sample pack made by Spice on an island in the Scottish Hebrides.
He has conducted in-depth research on underwater soundscapes and ocean noise pollution, and is currently working on a project exploring the cultural and political relationships between sound and water in the Atacama Desert, Chile.
La Wayaka Current residency - Atacama Desert, Chile, 2023
In March 2023, Spice took part in the La Wayaka Current arts residency in the Atacama Desert in northern Chile. Set in the context of water privatisation and prevalence of lithium extraction in the region, his research explored how sound recording can make the presence of water and the water practices of the indigenous Lickan Antay community audible, in order to contradict the narratives of aridity and scarcity that are often used to justify the actions of multinational mining companies.
He is currently working on various projects related to this research.
Work: Suelo Sueño Suena (Ground Dream Sounds)
Artist talk: Traces of sound and water in the Atacama Desert (SEEDS, 9th Sept 2023)
Echo Location - Isle of Muck, Scotland, 2022
Echo Location is a 14-track compilation, featuring original compositions from seven musicians, producers and sound designers. Based on a sample pack of field recordings made by Spice on an island in the Scottish Hebrides, the project sought to open a dialogue between each musician’s practice and imaginaries of a place as experienced through sound alone. It was launched with a listening event at Staffordshire St Studios in London and was accompanied by a pamphlet of photos and written reflections.
You can explore the project in more detail here.
Underwater soundscapes: Listening for politics in the Anthropocene Ocean - UCL, 2022
A post-graduate thesis focussing on ocean noise pollution. Features interviews with marine bioacousticians and sound artists about the politics of listening underwater and whether sound art-science collaborations can offer a new perspective on the impacts of anthropogenic noise pollution.
