Sound is…
Sound is a spatial and temporal phenomenon that has the faculty of connecting and dividing humans with other human and nonhuman actors. The presence or absence of sound has a strong impact on our wellbeing, as for example, undergoing listening of high volumes can be overwhelming, yet, on the other hand, listening to pleasing sounds can be suiting. “We all have ears, but we listen differently as a result of our culture, professions, education and our language since not all words dealing with the sounds are even translatable.” (Augoyard & Torgue, 2005). Therefore, the perception of each listened sound is filtered not only through the previous experiences but also through our dispositions and readiness to listen.
Sounds reinforce a sense of belonging to a specific context and culture. Certain sounds can facilitate the creation of memories or/and the recollection of established memories. Conversely, there are different sounds in the surrounding that may pass unnoticed. These sounds can be perceived as disregarded noises still providing an additional sense of complexity to daily life. Consequently, the intention is to reflect on the presence of sound and how its consumption tailors the way humans sense and communicate daily events.
More concretely in this project, the diverse cultural values can be mirrored and established in multidimensional soundscapes that overlapped and synchronized may produce an effect of pluralistic comprehensions and impressions depending on the listeners’ identities. The identity of a culture is lived according to the identity of a listener, while in this case, the listener’s identity changes through time and space by interpreting listened soundscapes.