pecq - Can Never Go Back (Live) by Upcycled Sounds published on 2021-06-18T09:53:29Z Sound art piece commissioned by the Centre for Energy Ethics. It explores field recordings and themes from Energy Ethics researchers. energyethics.ac.uk/art-of-energy The piece explores changing ideas of what is ‘valuable’ within each Energy Ethics research project, such as a barrel of crude oil, physical resources, engineering prowess, culture, national pride, and more. In the words of one of the researchers: ‘what kind of energy is appropriate to fuel our societies and our work, but also what kind of society and work we want to fuel’. We also thought a lot about the changing value and electrification of silence (e.g. noise-cancellation tech), in an increasingly industrialised world. As artists we very often question the value of what we do, but it was interesting to compare the values of the musical output directly to the power used to create it. We reflected this in the music by using microphones that pick up the electromagnetic vibrations of electrical devices - listening in to the power itself. The layout took inspiration from research and in fossil fuel distribution systems - feeding lots of sounds sources into a central hub before mixing them up and sending them back out again. Written and performed by pecq. Filmed and edited by Ross Harrison. Recorded and mixed by Upcycled Sounds. Research and field recordings by: Dr. Pauline Destrée Dr. Sean Field Dr. Mette M. High Sarah O'Brien Anna Rauter Dr. Leyla Sayfutdinova Genre Ambient