58,220. That is the number of American servicemembers killed in the Vietnam War. Now, what if you heard all the names of those lost read in succession, each given individual recognition? That is what you would have experienced at Jon Bellona’s sound memorial. His piece, created as a senior fellow at Hamilton College in 2003, sought to evoke emotion as listeners felt reverberations from the eight speakers through which the names were read.
Vietnam Sound Memorial, Hamilton College, 2003
Now a senior instructor at the University of Oregon School of Music and Dance (SOMD), Bellona continues to develop projects that connect people through sound. “Sound is something to share,” says the sound artist and educator. “We can listen together and connect with each other.”
His most recent sound art project, Accessible Oceans, seeks to make data more accessible for blind and low vision learners. Funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), he and his team transformed a year of carbon dioxide readings taken off the coast of New England into sound. Called data sonification, this work also aims to get kids excited about science by presenting the data in an auditory medium.
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Currently, Bellona is validating and evaluating Accessible Oceans’ integrated auditory displays, composed of narrations, music, and sound effects. The team is performing testing at the Perkins School for the Blind and underwent testing at the Eugene Science Center in July. “The end goal for this is to better understand our inclusive co-design of these auditory displays of ocean science data,” Bellona said. Then, he will apply for another NSF grant to develop, design, and build an exhibit for an informal learning environment, whether that is a touring mobile exhibit or one focused on one or two sites, in particular.
For more on Accessible Oceans, please read this article in AroundtheO!
In 2019, Bellona produced Wildfire, where listeners can hear a wave of fire sounds that play at the speeds of actual wildfires. “The sound art installation strives to have viewers embody the devastating spread of wildfires through an auditory experience,” Bellona said.
His interest in environmental subjects comes from a desire to provide another perspective and conversation around phenomenon that will impact us all over the next 5, 10, 50, and more years. “While we can look at charts, and use words to dialogue, oftentimes, art has a unique way of getting around a lot of barriers in challenging conversations or topics.”
Bellona’s journey to academia began as a young man when he played flute in his elementary school band. Inspired by Nirvana and grunge, he picked up the guitar and played in rock bands. He developed an interest in recording on four track cassette tapes and took a music technology course at Hamilton College. His advisor alerted him to the intermediate music technology master’s program at SOMD with Dr. Jeffrey Stolet, leading him to the Beaver State. After graduating in 2011, he completed a second master’s degree and his PhD at the University of Virginia. While authoring his dissertation, he simultaneously taught during his first year at UO. “I don't recommend that to anybody!” he laughed.
At SOMD, he feels supported and intellectually stimulated by his colleagues and students. “The students are amazing!” he said. “They bring really high-quality musicianship to their work and they're always engaging each other and challenging me to provide new and better ways of how we approach music and listening.”
Photographed by Brian Davies
He is amazed by the work they do and the growth he witnesses in each student throughout the year. For example, every Spring he helps students produce a class album. Starting the process in the fall, some students have never touched audio software before. By springtime, they have an album published on Spotify.
“My colleagues are world class and very professional and fun to work with,” he said. “I cannot say enough about them and our excellent leadership team. As an instructor, I feel well supported in the work I do in and out of the classroom.”
Jon is also the co-director of Harmonic Laboratory, an interdisciplinary arts collective focused on art and technology collaborations.
After work, Jon enjoys attending music shows and mixing tracks. He also loves spending time with his family. His wife, AlexAnn Westlake, is from Pleasant Hill and attended the University of Oregon. She is a midwife and started a birth center in Springfield. “I feel so fortunate that we were both able to get jobs in fields we’re passionate about,” Jon said. Their son, Peregrine, is 6 years old, and they have another child on the way!
Shimizu Photography