Through a discussion of the installation piece, The Trade / Oro porBaratijas, we address the theoretical issues behind the development ofecologically based compositional work. We discuss whether ecologically basedmusic can be studied using linguistic tools. The concepts of potentialityand actuality are situated within the perspective of individual–environmentinteractions. A process that describes the relationship between anindividual and his specific social context is proposed: the personalenvironment. Consistency is discussed in relation to environmental soundlistening processes and ecological modelling work. The first part of thepaper concludes by suggesting that form-creation is dynamically determinedby a process of mutual adaptation between listener and environment. Thesecond part focuses on compositional methods and contextual elements asthey are used in The Trade. This work has been developed through amultilevel approach where visual and sonic materials stem from social andhistorical issues. The organisational processes of the sound piece are basedon the micro-temporal and spectral properties suggested by the visualelements in the installation. The meso-temporal dynamic is organisedthrough ecologically constrained events. The macro-structural shape and thesources used in the piece make reference to a specific historical context,i.e. the conquest of the American continent by the European armies duringthe first half of the sixteenth century.