Sounds, Cities, Art, and Ecology

Urban atmospheres are of course experienced through more than one sense: we use our eyes, ears, skin, and nose. Besides elements that can be experienced through the senses, many other agents are active in creating a specific atmosphere: cultural perspectives, sociopolitical and economic influences, ecological or commercial interests, etc. In short, all these agents (and many more) play a role in the ways cities are designed and experienced.

Our view is that sound is an important agent in the creation of an urban atmosphere and that all these agents are connected to sound. A constantly changing constellation of traffic sounds, construction works, human activities, bells, music, as well as natural sounds determine the soundscape of cities and how these are perceived. However, when intervening in such a soundscape, myriad other parameters besides sound might also change: social interaction, feelings of (un)safety, biodiversity, etc., while visual, haptic, and olfactory transformations might accompany introduced sounds.

In this panel we would like to focus specifically on the relation between the sonic environment, sound art, and ecology in cities. In particular, we will investigate the following question: how can sound artists intervene in the ecological climate in cities?

• ‘Those poor birds’: Sound art, public space, and vulnerable listening subjects by Linnea Semmerling
• The Role of Sound Art in Designing Public Urban Spaces by Marcel Cobussen
• The Building Blocks of Urban Sound: Listening to Material Voices by Kevin Toksöz Fairbairn