Sound Research

radio aporee ::: maps has started 2006, based on former artistic research on mapping, spatial conditions and the navigation between the real and the virtual. It develops from the insight that it is basically impossible to map the complexity of todays public spaces. Against the background of an increasing awareness of spatial aspects in media and the popularity and presence of visual geographies like google maps, the idea was to connect sound and space, and to create a cartography which focusses solely on sound, and open it to the public as a collaborative project. Meanwhile it contains 1000s of recordings from numerous urban, rural and natural environments, showing the sonic complexity of these environments, as well as the different perception and artistic perspectives related to sound, space and places. furthermore, it's an exciting playground for experiments with sound and mobile media.

The project set out to give a rich and rigorous account of human perception of and response to soundscapes. To do this it used overlapping methods from a wide range of disciplines, ranging from the quantitative (e.g. acoustics) to the qualitative (e.g. social science) to the creative (e.g. sound art). Qualitative fieldwork (soundwalks and focus groups) determined that people conceptualised a soundscape into three components: sound sources (e.g. a market), sound descriptors (e.g. rumbling) and soundscape descriptors (e.g. hubbub). Lab-based listening tests along with the fieldwork have revealed that two key dimensions of the emotional response to a soundscape are calmness and vibrancy. In the lab these factors explain nearly 80% of the variance in listener response. Interview responses from real soundscapes further indicate that vibrancy can be expressed in two sub-dimensions expressing variation over time and over sound mix. Physiological validation of the main dimensions is provided by images of changes in the brain during listening from fMRI scans and by changes in heart rate. Artistic work and the public responses to it illustrate the huge range of sounds and soundscapes considered positive. Tools for simulating soundscapes have been developed and seem to be effective for several purposes, including design and public engagement - that is, sound play. The project results will lead to new metrics and assessment methods for soundscapes, new ideas for design and user engagement and, perhaps, better policy on environmental noise.

"Professor Paul Jennings is leading a team researching how sound affects the perception of environments including urban and hospital intensive care units. People have generally seen noise as being unwanted, but the right sound has many positive aspects."

"THE WORLD LISTENING PROJECT (WLP) is a not-for-profit organization devoted to understanding the world and its natural environment, societies and cultures through the practices of listening and field recording. The WLP was founded in 2008 and is supported by the Midwest Society for Acoustic Ecology, a membership organization and regional chapter of the American Society for Acoustic Ecology, affiliated with the World Forum for Acoustic Ecology. The WLP maintains a website and online forum about its artistic and educational activities. These include the use of radio and web-based technologies, conducting public workshops, forums, and lectures, as well as participating in exhibitions, symposiums, and festivals. To learn more and become involved in the WLP's activities please subscribe to our discussion group."

Can you really detain people because their phones are beeping? And when you cannot tell who is protesting, is it still a protest?

One day conference exploring how noise management and soundscape design can improve the use and enjoyment of London's green spaces and public realm." PDFs of papers and presentations can be found here

Sonic Postcards is a unique and innovative national education programme which explores these issues and encourages participants to "open their ears". The project enables pupils from across the UK to explore and compare their local sound environments through the composition and exchange - via the internet - of sound postcards with other schools.

"SoundTransit is a collaborative, online community dedicated to field recording and phonography. "

How does one remember a sound? Why does one remember a sound? We remember things visually. Close your eyes and you can perfectly picture that one magnificent view you've seen a couple of years ago. But try to do that with a sound, to recreate that sound in your head, and…. it suddenly becomes a whole lot more difficult.

Meet Tyler and Tara, who have spent the last year (and a bit) traveling around the world, uploading field recordings to Soundcloud as they go.

"Becoming an attentive and critical listener is a learned skill toward which soundscape studies can contribute. Such study focuses on purposeful listening to all types of acoustical environments --from those of daily life, the world of nature, other cultures and places, to those audio soundscapes constructed for media, museums or virtual spaces. It also encourages action in the preservation, modification, or creation of acoustic environments when needed. "

A soundscape is any collection of sounds, almost like a painting is a collection of visual attractions," says composer R. Murray Schafer. "When you listen carefully to the soundscape it becomes quite miraculous." David New's portrait of the renowned composer becomes a lesson unto itself, gracing viewers (and listeners) with a singular moment of interactive subjectivity. This film was produced for the 2009 Governor General's Performing Arts Award.

«Using simple and functional components, Zimoun builds architecturally-minded platforms of sound. Exploring mechanical rhythm and flow in prepared systems, his installations incorporate commonplace industrial objects. In an obsessive display of curiously collected material, these works articulate a tension between the orderly patterns of Modernism and the chaotic forces of life. Carrying an emotional depth, the acoustic hum of natural phenomena blends effortlessly with electric reverberation in Zimoun's minimalist constructions.» bitforms nyc

"Composer R. Murray Schafer will inspire you to listen to the music of sound. His 1977 book "The Tuning of the World" is full of original, evocative observations and insights about the roles music and sound play in human lives. Schafer, considered by some to be Canada's pre-eminent composer, makes a rare visit to New York, and talks with host David Garland about the ideas behind "The Tuning of the World," and about his music, which includes Patria, a cycle of music and theater pieces on an extraordinarily grand scale."

"In Ceará, Brazil, Narcelio Grud has created one of the more impressive alternate uses for street signs the Urban Guide for Alternate Use has seen, and we've seen plenty. Narcelio transforms street signs around the city in to public instruments as part of his Musica Livre project. "

"Sonic Terrain is dedicated to field recording: Audio and sound recording not inside the studio environment, but in the outside world around us. We encourage not just hearing the world around you, but to listening to it, and recording it, for reflection, relaxation, art, science, or entertainment."

With an international campaign, people in need of hearing aids are demonstrated what wearing Phonak products can bring: the restoration of their full hearing potential. This was emphasized by real costumes that symbolize the colorful range of life sounds - each costume symbolizing a special delicate sound.

"We have no ear lids. We are condemned to listen. But this does not mean our ears are always open. "

"As I started exploring, I began noticing the sounds around me. I began to think that maybe instead of focusing my attention only on the "Kodak moments" - and don't get me wrong, I take a lot of photos - perhaps using the SoundCloud mobile app to isolate and feature my "sonic experiences" would be another really cool way to map and document my Toronto travels. And thus, the Sounds of My City project was born!"

The book The Hidden City, People and Places in Gothenburg is an exploration of the open and hidden perspectives of this north European harbour town by journalist and writer Magnus Haglund and photographer Stefan Schneider. The cd "The Hidden City" consists of some 15 sound portraits from the city, by artists that are featured in the book or have an interesting relationship with certain places or addresses in Gothenburg.