EAR Forest

Public listening hours for @kirkegaardjacob otoacoustic sound installation Oval Window, 12-2PM every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday through June 13th in the EAR Forest

Hello lovely friends, extremely excited to celebrate @kirkegaardjacob 's new otoacoustic sound installation created for the @earforest.lc today, Thursday April 16th from 5:30-7:00PM. “Oval Window is composed from tones generated in the inner ears of students Lewis & Clark College. These tones, called spontaneous otoacoustic emissions (or SOAEs), are produced - without external stimulation - in people’s ears. Each emitting ear produces something akin to an acoustic fingerprint: the combinations of tones emitted from one ear can be dissonant, microtonal and complex, while tones emitted from another ear can be harmonious and perceived as being 'in tune'. Recorded with a specialized microphone inserted directly into the ears of students, during my residence at Lewis & Clark College in Portland in 2026, these ‘ear tones’ form the basis of the composition.” -Jacob Kirkegaard In the summer of 2014, when I was a student @hampshirecollege , I met Jacob after a performance he gave in Boston. My advisor, philosopher @xophcox , had introduced me to his work the previous semester. As a wide eyed, aspiring young artist, Kirkegaard's work spoke to me in ways that taught me how to listen and create a generative and expansive future for myself in this world. Over a decade later, I invited Kirkegaard to create work for the EAR Forest. What a blessing it has been to see this encounter come full circle. The Hampshire College experiment may be coming to a close, but the systems of inquiry they instilled in my fellow alma mater and I, will continue to proliferate through this strange new world, this I am certain of. See you tomorrow <3

Jacob Kirkegaard’s (@kirkegaardjacob ) installation opening steadily approaches and The EAR Forest couldn’t be more excited. Jacob had been hard at work recording sounds around Portland, as seen above. Not only has the work been blossoming from collaborations with local Portland bookstores but the Lewis & Clark community has also been thriving under Jacob’s guidance! Jacob led multiple workshops and lectures this week for Dann Disciglio’s (@_postbiotic ) Sound Art Class and Digital Media II & III teaching students that ears can actually produce sounds! Meet our internationally renowned 2026 Resident Artist Jacob Kirkegaard (@kirkegaardjacob ) THIS THURSDAY at 5:30PM on Lewis & Clark Campus in The EAR Forest (@earforest.lc ). We will be handing out donuts and continuing the EAR Forest installation opening tradition of radishes and butter for all 💚🌲🔈👂📚 *Accessibility Statement & Directions ~ The opening will be open to the public but it is not easily accessible! The EAR Forest path is a rough path through the woods. The terrain is uneven and could be muddy with inclement weather. Every sound work installed along the path is recorded with a binaural microphone in an effort to make it accessible because the physical path and site of the EAR Forest is unfortunately not. Binaural recordings replicate the way the human ear works, capturing sound through 2 microphones to create a 3D stereo sound experience, helping us to take you on a journey along the path, even if you can’t. We WILL have headphones available at the opening for those that cannot move down the path. Directions will be posted on our story the morning of the opening and there will be signs with the EAR logo posted around campus to lead you to The EAR Forest. We welcome all questions!

It’s been a year since I performed my piece Civilipoli at the EAR Forest, Lewis & Clark College’s 16-channel woodland sound array. Since then, I’ve been invited to make work for Chicago’s 96-speaker CLEAT sound system (coming October 9 at Elastic). This Thursday, catch the next EAR Forest artist-in-residence, Danish sound-genie Jakob Kierkegaard, on this rad system. 4/16, 5:30pm, L&C campus. Free! Donuts and radishes provided.

The EAR Forest is proud to present our 2026 Spring Artist in Residence, Jacob Kirkegaard! We will be working with him closely throughout the next few months to create a wonderful installation for The EAR Forest, opening April 16th at 5:30PM. The core element and method of Jacob Kirkegaard’s work derive from the use of sound recordings of the tangible aspects from its intangible themes, perfect for our Experimental Art Research Forest. He explores ways to reflect on complex, unnoticed or unapproachable conditions and environments. His works have treated themes such as radioactivity in Chernobyl, melting ice in the Arctic, border walls in global and metaphorical contexts, immersive acoustic explorations into global waste management, and processes related to when a human being dies. Since 2006 Kirkegaard has also been extensively researching, recording and creating works using otoacoustic emissions; tones generated from the actual human ear.

The EAR Forest in partnership with the Gender Studies Symposium will be hosting listening hours for Open Our Hearts, Remembering the HIV/AIDS Pandemic. Curated by Avarie Goerling ’27, Mae Heeringa ’28, the exhibit features oral stories and experiences of individuals during the HIV/AIDS pandemic in the late 20th century. The EAR Forest will be open to the public: Wednesday, March 11: 2-5pm Thursday, March 12: 2-5pm Friday, March 13: 4-6:30pm Accessibility Statement: Please note that the EAR Forest is a rough and uneven path through the woods, please dress accordingly for muddy terrain. In an effort to make this accessible to those who cannot navigate this type of terrain, a transmission of the program today can be made available. Audio programs will also be recorded with a binaural microphone (a recording method that reproduces the way humans typically experience sound). The recordings will be archived and can be accessed in Soundcloud in the near future.

Listening party was a smashing success! The Watzek Library @watzeklibrary was full of students studying and head bopping along to our DJ channels streaming last Friday. The gnomes set up a fun dance break room and enjoyed handing out headphones to help out with the midterms season slump going around campus. As Spring Break approaches on @lewisandclarkcollege campus, The EAR Forest is excited to welcome listeners back with sunny sky’s, more exciting news to come 👂🌲💚

The EAR Forest Gnomes proudly present a very special listening event, shhh.mp3, in the Watzek Library. Tune in to 4 different student DJ stations and tune out deadlines! Friday March 6th from 3-3:45 PM. Headphones provided by The EAR Forest, bring ID to participate

Listen to indigenous stories exploring moss and lichen within The EAR Forest to celebrate our annual Moss Week here at @lewisandclarkcollege 🌳 Opening Monday 2/9 at 3:45, unless there is too much rain then we will postpone our opening event to Wednesday 2/11 at 3:45. The EAR Forest is hosting open listening hours February 9th-13th from 12PM-4PM. Come play, listen, and learn with our moss creatures and gnomes 🧌🌳🌲 Accessibility Statement: The path WILL be muddy, please dress accordingly. The EAR Forest path is a rough path through the woods and the terrain is uneven. Every sound work installed along the path is recorded with a binaural microphone in an effort to make it accessible because the physical path and site of the EAR Forest is unfortunately not. Binaural recordings replicate the way the human ear works, capturing sound through 2 microphones to create a 3D stereo sound experience, helping us to take you on a journey along the path, even if you can’t. We are working to have all the recordings available on our Soundcloud as soon as possible. We welcome specific questions.

What do these three animals have in common????

please join us in the @earforest.lc for a haley heynderickx listening party!! this coming monday the 8th, at 4:30 pm!!! apple cider provided!! 🍎🌲🌲

Portland! In honor of Saturday's special screening of Beth & Annie's newest documentary, Playing with Fire: An Ecosexual Emergency, we'll be playing their 16-channel audio piece, Forest As Lover, on Friday, Saturday, & Sunday 12-3pm, in the EAR Forest. Come listen to them in the trees. Go to the screening at the Tomorrow Theater stage. It's basically a radical ecological love double header. And a good time of the year to recognize the land we're on and give some thanks.