Songs of the Caves: acoustics and prehistoric art in Cantabrian caves

本项目将探索西班牙北方史前彩绘洞穴的声学，以确定彩绘图案的定位与洞穴内的声音效果之间是否存在安全的关系。声音在考古学的许多领域都有潜力提供研究视觉或材料特性所无法获得的信息。这个项目特别有趣，因为岩石艺术的记录和绘画空间的声学特征提供了两组可量化的数据，可以进行比较，并可以分析其关系。Reznikoff和Dauvois（1988）提出了法国西南部洞穴绘画的位置和声学共振模式之间的特定联系，回响和回声。然而，所使用的方法并不是基于严格的声学分析，而是有点主观，研究人员使用他们的声音来寻找声音效果。目前的项目将是第一次尝试使用严格的科学方法来测试他们的理论。该项目将包括前往联合国教科文组织世界遗产地“阿尔塔米拉洞穴和西班牙北方旧石器时代洞穴艺术”，那里的一组洞穴包括世界上最古老的洞穴壁画，最近被确定为41，000年前。团队成员在2012年夏天进行的初步调查涉及访问一些洞穴，进行探索性测量，并试用不同的方法。遗址包括蒂托布斯蒂略、卡斯蒂略山、帕西埃加、烟囱和最近发现的拉加尔马。这项工作清楚地表明，声学效果和洞穴壁画一样令人印象深刻。图像和声音之间存在着诱人的空间联系，但令人沮丧的是，缺乏时间或资金阻碍了他们的全面调查。随后，英国和西班牙研究人员探讨了实际问题，并建立了关系，这使得对这些现象进行更深入的探索成为可能。该项目将系统地绘制洞穴的声学图，记录脉冲响应，随后可以分析这些脉冲响应，以产生一系列声学信息。这是一个跨学科的项目，新的研究在于科学，考古和音乐方法的结合，而不是在任何一个领域的进步。该项目以艺术和人文为主导，使用最先进的声学技术来发现音乐，声音，考古学，遗产和史前文化。该项目是通过“英国史前科学和遗产研究群的声学和音乐”（2009年）建立的网络的直接结果，该网络为这类实地工作确定了基本方法和研究问题。目前的项目旨在将这些方法应用于一个具有高潜力的特定考古环境中。将使用统计软件对洞穴中的声学效果进行定量评估，以确定洞穴艺术的位置和声学效果之间是否存在重要联系。该项目还将涉及在洞穴中记录相关史前时期乐器的实验性考古复制品的表演，以定性地探索空间的声学。它还将涉及摄影调查和高质量的数字录像，以提供高影响力的传播。音乐创作将使用录音和脉冲响应，并与视觉材料相结合，创造沉浸式的多媒体艺术作品，可以提供声音丰富的空间的现象学体验。

This project will explore the acoustics of prehistoric painted caves in Northern Spain, to establish whether a secure relationship can be established between the positioning of painted motifs and sonic effects within the caves. Sound has the potential in many fields of archaeology to provide information that is not available by studying visual or material properties. This project is of particular interest since the documented presence of rock art and the acoustic characteristics of the spaces in which the paintings were made, provide two sets of quantifiable data that can be compared and whose relationships can be analysed.Reznikoff and Dauvois (1988) have suggested a specific link between the positioning of cave paintings in southwest France and the patterning of acoustic resonances, reverberation and echoes. However the methodology used was not based on rigorous acoustical analysis, but was somewhat subjective, researchers using their voices to search for vocal effects. The present project would be the first attempt to test their theory using a rigorous scientific methodology. The project will involve travel to the UNESCO world heritage site "Cave of Altamira and Paleolithic Cave Art of Northern Spain", where a group of caves includes the oldest dated cave painting in the world, recently identified as 41,000 years old.A preliminary investigation carried out by members of the team in the summer of 2012 involved visits to a number of the caves, the taking of exploratory measurements, and trialling of different methodologies. Sites included Tito Bustillo, Monte Castillo, Pasiega, Chimneas, and the recently discovered La Garma. This work made clear that the acoustic effects are as impressive as the cave paintings. There were tantalizing spatial connections between images and sounds, but a frustrating lack of time or funding prevented their full investigation. Practical issues have subsequently been explored and relationships developed between British and Spanish researchers which now make possible a more thorough exploration of these phenomena.The project will systematically map the acoustics of the caves, recording impulse responses that can later be analysed to produce a range of acoustic information. This will then be compared with the already mapped positions of rock art. This is a cross-disciplinary project in which the new research lies in the combination of scientific, archaeological and musical methodologies, rather than in advances in any one of these fields. The project is Arts and Humanities-led, using state of the art acoustic technologies to make discoveries about music, sound, archaeology, heritage and prehistoric culture. The project will also provide a case study to illustrate the quality and significance of the results that can be achieved by such research.The project was born as a direct result of networking established through the "Acoustics and Music of British Prehistory Science and Heritage Research Cluster" (2009), which established base-line methodologies and research questions for fieldwork of this kind. The current project intends to apply these methodologies within a specific archaeological context of high potential.Acoustic effects in the caves will be assessed quantitatively using statistical software to establish whether there are significant links between positions of cave art and acoustic effects. The project will also involve the recording of performances in the caves on experimental archaeological reproductions of musical instruments from the relevant prehistoric period, in order to explore the acoustics of the space in qualitative terms. It will also involve photographic survey and high quality digital video footage to provide high impact dissemination. Musical composition will use recordings and impulse responses, and be integrated with visual materials to create immersive multimedia artworks that can provide phenomenological experiences of spaces that are sonically rich.