The importance of silence

iPhone application to find quiet places. More info about project and author here.

Europe’s noise map.  European Environment Agency  has launched map, revealing which European citizens are exposed to excessive acoustic pollution. More info about project and author here.

Projects which synthesize or transform existing soundscape

RoadMusic by Peter Sinclair. All sounds are generated by mini computer equipped by camera which captures information about landscape and accelerometers: movement about the car (curves, bumps, acceleration and breaks). No sound recorded in machine, they are produced when car is moving.

Variable 4 is an 8-speaker outdoor sound installation which translates weather conditions into musical patterns in real time. Using meteorological sensors connected to a custom software environment, the weather itself acts as conductor, navigating through a map of 24 specifically-written movements.

The Tank is incidentally found reverberant space. It creates specific and unique acoustic space and radically transforms sounds.

Sound Castle is performance made during Acoustic Architecture festival. Site-specific exploration project where musicians used existing urban space and augmented it’s natural acoustic features with performance.

Yesterday we had conversation with Carlos abut perception and impact of soundsape. Background sounds (or noise) are always following us. And unlike the sight, we can not escape from them. Apart direct perception what is happening and what you hear, our bodies are influenced physically and psychologically by frequencies and levels of sounds. Our hearing capasity and perception has adapted to particular ranges and frequencies during evolution. That’s why sounds found in the nature are more acceptable and has more positive impact. In contrast, cities have higher concentration of high and low resolution noise which is beyond normal limits. Our system ‘alerts’ that something is abnormal and automatically reacts to it. For example, in the nature very low or high frequency sounds, such as thunder, running of flock were percepted as danger. But perception of sound is personal and subjective. Whether sounds are irritating  or pleasant varies depending on experience, associations and inborn features. One man’s music is another man’s noise.

Some hints form Carlos recommended  “The music of the environment” book  by R. Murray Shafer:

• In rural areas sounscape is uncrowded, surrounded by pools of stillness. It gives potentiality to orientate and define surrounding.
• “..The shepherd can determine from sheep bells precise state of his flock”.
• “.. He was disturbed in his meditation by a grating noise from the coach-house. It was the vane on the roof turning round and this change in the wind was the signal for a disastrous rain”.
• Industrial revolution began to produce the lo-fi soundscape. In cities background lo-fi sounds mask perspective of sounds.
• The value of silence.

I have recorded  outside sounds in apartment I live in. Records were made at different time of the day – noon, afternoon, evening and night. Then I have tried to distinguish different features and  components of sounds that were recorded.

Monday, April 15, 13:06

• sounds from construction site
• alarm signal sound from traffic lights
• cars noise
• dogs and human voices

Monday, April 15, 16:35

• construction site
• children
• human voices
• cars
• high level of background noise (when you can’t distinguish sounds)
• birds
• sounds from apartments
• level of soundscape is higher, less contrast, sound is flatter.

Monday, April 15, 21:46

• mainly cars
• longer sounds
• longer brakes
• background noise is quieter
• can distinguish single sounds

Monday, April 15, 01:50

• silent backgound
• islands of silence
• intterupted by garbage truck
• few human voices
• clearly perceptible space and action
• all sounds related with each other. Can understand what is happening outside. Like in the theater or radio show

Sonic clock. After listening records I’ve realized that these sounds are characteristic for only this time of the day. And it reminded my eternal issue with garbage truck which comes every night outside my window exactly same time, so I always know when it is 3am without looking at clock. Consequently I can predict time only by listening surrounded sounds. I’d like to investigate more how sounds changing depending on time of the day and week.  Which ones are shifting and which ones are steady. Which ones have most damaging or positive impact on human behaviors. What kind of sounds are in different places at the same time.

Other interesting point is how based on Julian Treasure’s lecture of soundscape’s impact on human. Would it be possible to convert negative sound experience into positive one?

Recently I was trying to investigate more in urban noise and it’s impact on human. Here are some hints which I found interesting

Julian Treasure talks about sound impact on human in four different aspects which can affect both in positive and negative ways:

• Physiological. Influence breathing, heart rate and brainwaves, balance.
• Psychological. Music or natural sounds may set different emotions and moods.
• Cognitive. Can’t listen two people speaking at the same time.Certain sounds may damage or increase productivity.
• Behavioral.

The Kokomo hum – Issue faced by big cities.  Low-frequency noises generated by turbines, industrial fans, compressors and other machinery that cause harmful side effects.

Acoustis trauma: bioeffects of sound. The work is an investigation into the effects of low frequency and infrasound via the design of experimental acoustic emitters.

The Sonic Weapon of Vladimir Gavreau invention. I was impressed how powerful and comprehensive sound might be.