3 Questions with…Cheryl Tipp

Next to tell us a little more about the Symposium and her own relationship with field recording is Cheryl Tipp, Curator of Natural Sounds at the British Library and one of the organisers of this event.  In addition to her curatorial work, Cheryl is also a staff writer for The Field Reporter and a member of the Executive Committee for the International Bioacoustics Council. Recent publications include Name that Tune (On Nature anthology, HarperCollins 2011), An Overview of Early Commercial Wildlife Recordings at the British Library (IASA, 2011) and Margaret McKee: the California Mocking Bird (For the Record, 2011).  

1) How did you first become involved in field recording?

My first introduction to the world of field recording was when I joined the Wildlife Section of the British Library Sound Archive back in 2005.  At the time I was assisting the then curator and quickly became fascinated with everything to do with this craft.  My own personal archive is ashamedly small but I have found other ways of engaging with the field recording community. Aside from curating and promoting one of the finest collections of wildlife and environmental recordings in the world, I also value my position as staff writer for The Field Reporter.  This role gives me the opportunity to interact with a range of phonographic works, from both a listener’s and a recordist’s point of view.

2) Sneak peek: what speaker or event are you particularly looking forward to at In the Field?

No one speaker or event really stands out for me- I’m looking forward to them all!  Together they offer such a diverse range of interests, methodologies and ways of engaging with others that it will be interesting to see how the various panels and listening sessions work alongside each other to create the spirit of the overall event.

3) What would you like to see as an ideal outcome of the Symposium?

An ideal outcome would be the development of an even stronger community of field recordists with increased discussion, collaboration and decimation of work and activities.  From a personal point of view, I would also like to think that I’d brought the British Library’s collection of sound recordings to new audiences and demonstrated just what a fantastic resource exists here.

In conversation with La Cosa Preziosa