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With the increased attention to noise pollution in the 20th century came the invention of a new term: The Soundscape. Researchers such as R. Murray Schafer, and Michael Southworth popularized the term to draw greater attention to the qualities of sounds in the built environment. Their work outline the ways humans use sounds to orient themselves and ascribe identity to a place. Soundscape study emerged as an effort to move away from the focus of noise control and instead focus on the productive sounds that make life sonically rich and engaging. 

 

The research on this website joins a long tradition of soundscape collection, most notably mirroring the work of the World Soundscape Project, founded by R. Murray Schafer in the 1970's. The library I have collected focuses on the built environment of the city, and the sounds of interior spaces, in an effort to highlight how design decisions create acoustic outcomes. Moreover, the collection draws attention to the dominance of human and machine sounds in our built environment. I challenge designers to listen to these scenes, and adjust their spaces accordingly to filter out distractions and elevate human interactions.

Listened to out of context, the soundscapes provide an almost overwhelming amount of detail. When the brain is freed from the tasks of navigation, communication, and decision-making, it can tune into the minutiae of sound present in a train station, restaurant, or city park. Close your eyes and try and visualize each element in the recordings. Consider the textures, surfaces, and movements that make up each soundscape. Find a sound that speaks to you.

© 2024 Jonathan Nelson

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