This paper has two main objectives: (i) to discuss essential concepts of the ecological approach to composition, proposing the term eco-composition as a common reference for theoretical perspectives and compositional techniques; and (ii) to present the multimedia piece Vivir sin después,realised within the context of the Paititi Project.

Following the Introduction, the paper is divided into two main sections. In section 2 we discuss issues raised by the application of the ecological approach to composition. Regarding the data-gathering procedures, eco-composition provides two effective methods: re-enaction and anchoring. Organisation of sonic materials is done through accumulation of heterarchical layers, giving rise to emergent musical phenomena. Section 3 dwells on the compositional strategies applied in the multimedia installation Vivir sin después. We describe the process of re-enacting the first Spanish trip through the Amazon River Basin, carried out by Francisco de Orellana and fifty-nine Spaniards in 1541. Then we address technical aspects of the piece, such as the application of multiple views of single entities, the development of non-hierarchical forms and the manipulation of sonic fields.