On October 11th, I had a great pleasure to lead a workshop on situated listening, using the practice of field recording to capture the sounds and resonances of the Mississippi River. The event took place in beautiful Winona as part of the Folk Media iDMAa (International Digital Media and Arts Association) 2025 Conference and Media Festival.

We used a range of microphones — including hydrophones, geophones, and contact microphones — to listen attentively not only to the River itself, but also to the diverse forms of human activity surrounding it. Homemade, small, and simple devices designed to enhance the listening experience were also available directly on the boat, broadening the scope of situatedness in this particular place and time.

Through this experience, we explored the many resonances of the Great River. Following in the footsteps of Cal Fremling, aboard the boat named after the author of Immortal River: The Upper Mississippi in Ancient and Modern Times, we will listen across different time scales: geological time, riverine time, and human time.

The sessions were recorded and are available on Radio Aporee, SoundCloud, Bandcamp, Radio Aporee, and Echoes (all the links below).

All participants were also welcome to bring their own recording devices and the project at the Radio Aporee is meant as ever-evolving. If you would like to contribute your recordings, please upload following a few simple steps (instructions below).

More on the legacy of Cal Fremling, who could be considered one of the pioneers of blue humanities (even though has worked as a professor of biology) and his connection to Winona: Cal Fremling Archive.

More about International Digital Media and Arts Association (iDMAa)

This workshop was made possible through the generous support of the Adam Mickiewicz Institute and Winona State University Foundation.

Find it on Bandcamp: