COMBE DU LAUS [44.45655° N, 6.36523° O]
Located at Combe du Laus, a small mountain stream flowing into Lac de Serre-Ponçon — the largest reservoir in Europe. The reservoir serves to control flooding, generate hydroelectric power, and irrigate agriculture in the surrounding valleys. Although Combe du Laus provides only a small amount of water to the reservoir, it plays a significant role in the ecosystem of the surrounding forests today, such as the state forest Forêt Domaniale de la Blanche.
This protected natural zone is home to a wide range of flora, such as coniferous and deciduous trees, rare plants, and it shelters a variety of fauna such as deer, foxes, wild boars, hares, and diverse birds and insects. Yet this level of vitality and balance in the ecosystem has not always been so prominent. In the mid-18th century, overgrazing and deforestation caused severe erosion and flooding. Large-scale reforestation followed, with thousands of trees planted and numerous stone dams and drainage systems built to stabilize the soil. A century later, the construction of the reservoir in the 1950s–60s led to habitat loss, and eventually the area was granted protected status, allowing the vitality and balance to be restored. Today, it continues to safeguard biodiversity and mitigate climate change — though rising temperatures and droughts now threaten the ecosystem again.
In "Combe du Laus [44.45655° N, 6.36523° O]", this ongoing cycle of threat and renewal is reflected through a day-cycle of sound. The piece begins with Combe du Laus’ flowing water and birdsong under a bright sun, shifts to stridulation of awakening crickets at dusk, and transitions to nocturnal animals and resonances from the night, wherein biophony from squirrels and owls is gradually dominated by geophony from heavy rain and thunderstorms, causing a stronger flow rate in Combe du Laus’ stream.This auditory complementarity and duality between day versus night, and sun versus rain represents the turbulent ecological history of Combe du Laus and Forêt Domaniale de la Blanche. While human activity remains a source of risk, Combe du Laus also stands as a testament to resilience and the potential for restoration and coexistence.
testament to resilience and the potential for restoration and coexistence
"Combe du Laus [44.45655° N, 6.36523° O]" is released on January 4th 2026.
The recordings were made near Route d'Ubaye in France, on September 17th 2023.
All sounds were recorded using two unidirectional condenser microphones in an X/Y setup, a geophone and an hydrophone.
