Von: Steffens, Jochen via ak discourse
Datum: Fri, 19 Apr 2019
Betreff: [ak-discourse] Forschungskolloquium über Sounds in the City
Liebe Kollegen und Studierende, liebe Interessenten an Veranstaltungen am Fachgebiet Audiokommunikation,
einmal mehr möchte ich Sie sehr herzlich zu unserem Forschungskolloquium am kommenden Dienstag (23.04., 16.15Uhr) im Raum EN 324 einladen. Diesmal haben wir wieder einen internationalen Gastvortrag. Genauer wird Dr. Daniel Steele von der McGill University in Montreal, Kanada einen Vortrag über Sounds in the city: Adding sound to reduce perceived loudness and other reasons to collaborate with cities halten. Der Vortrag erfolgt in englischer Sprache, und eine Kurzzusammenfassung darüber finden Sie am Ende dieser E-Mail.
Diesmal freuen wir uns wieder ganz besonders über zahlreiches Erscheinen.
Herzliche Grüße und Ihnen allen ein frohes Osterfest
Jochen Steffens
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PD Dr. Jochen Steffens
Wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter
Fachgebiet Audiokommunikation (Sekr. EN-8)
Technische Universität Berlin
Einsteinufer 17c
10587 Berlin
Büro: +49 30 314 29161
Traditional expertise on urban public spaces advocates for a reduction in sound level to improve the quality of the auditory experience. In some contexts, added sounds like fountains have been used for noise masking purposes, but other types of added sound have been less formally and empirically studied, especially in urban spaces. Despite a rich tradition of urban sound art, a lack of scientific documentation makes it difficult to reconcile with the urban soundscape literature. Between 2015 and 2018, we carried out three in-situ, added-sound interventions in two public spaces, in collaboration with the City of Montreal. We documented the process of developing the system as well as its effects on people’s use and perception of the public spaces using mixed methods approaches. Each intervention featured a different type of added sound: one each with pre-programmed natural sounds and speech, designed by a sound art collaborative (Audiotopie), and the third a user-driven, bring-your-own music installation. In each case, a control condition without the added-sound was measured. Across the three interventions, we found consistent results on, among others: the potential of added sound to decrease a space’s perceived loudness; as well as benefits for calm, relaxation and restorativeness. On the theoretical side, we establish a basis for the investigation of the concept of soundscape appropriateness. Practically, the interventions demonstrated the importance of a multi-stakeholder approach, especially at the municipality. They were part of the Sounds in the City project whose main aim is to bring sound into a conversation about urban spaces. Sounds in the City supports moving away from traditional noise control strategies toward an approach that integrates sound as a key component of the urban experience through design and early stage planning.