ear to the ground
Jez riley French

'It goes without saying that 'the earth' sounds uniquely different in every location. Pressing ones ear to it largely only results in the amplification of the inner space of ones ear canal. If you are lucky you might pick up the occasional other sound but for me that is not enough. I long ago lost the wish to fool myself, to believe that I could decide what was real and what was actual. I enjoy life more this way.

My interest in listening began many years ago & it is something that is a constant joy to me. It is also something that seems largely lost to our societies.
So, in response to this question I took a few minutes to listen to the ground near Mooste Lake in Estonia (I am currently artist in residence at MoKS there). I also recorded this sound by placing a contact microphone on the surface of the ground & another microphone to capture the space just above the ground. This I feel gives the listener an experience nearest to mine. The sounds you can hear are mainly the reeds being moved in the wind and the occasional shift of loose earth' -
Jez riley French - May 15th 2009.

mp3 sound file