(Counter-)mapping through the Ear. Listening Walks, Soundwalks and Audio Walks

The workshop introduces practices of walking and listening for mapping the sonic city. Topics include acoustic ecology, urban sounds, and field recordings, leading to individual artistic projects.

Soundwalk is a term coined by sound practitioner Hildegard Westerkamp introduced in 1974. Westerkamp was an active member of the Canadian group Soundscape Project and has encouraged participants to expand their hearing by listening to urban and natural environments while carefully walking. During the workshop, participants will have an introduction to theories on acoustic ecology and sonic methods such as sonic diagramming and field recording. The group will be introduced to sound investigation practices that archive and map sonic environments, situating those within longer histories of sonic arts practice and soundscape studies. The workshop focuses on critical and reflective approaches, giving examples that concentrate on the context of Berlin. Various interfaces, such as online and participatory urban sound maps, will be present. The weekly workshop will expand this concept of sound walking by discussing listening walks in Extended Reality, which is an emergent field of studies that contains technologies such as Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), and Mixed Reality (XR). The workshop includes readings, listening exercises, an introduction to techniques for recording, and post-production of sound to export and situate those into their specific projects. At the end of the week, each participant should develop an artistic project on sonic walks.

Schedule:

Day 1:
- Practical and theoretical introduction to sound mapping, audio walks and listening walks.
- Collective exercises on listening and sound walking.

Day 2:
- Practical and theoretical introduction to sonic diagramming, field recording, and voice recording.

- Listening through audio devices and field recordings. It will focus on techniques on binaural recordings.
- Excursion to a specific area or Berlin to listen to an audio walk.

Day 3 and 4:
- Practical and theoretical introduction to mapping the sonic city with practices on sonic walking. With a focus on individual projects and interfaces for developing the artistic projects of the participants.

Day 5:
- Presentation of individual or group sound walk, compilation of all projects in a group publication.

Day 6:
- Presentation of the walk for a broader audience.

Knowledge requirements:

Previous knowledge about sound or experience working with audio is not mandatory.

Equipment requirement:
Field recording equipment, microphones, smartphone devices, and laptops are welcome. The instructor will provide some field recording equipment and binaural microphones.

Samuel Perea-Díaz (b. 1988, Spain) is a cross-disciplinary artist, researcher, and spatial designer. His practice spans sound art, architecture, and curation. Having earned a degree in Architecture and an MA in Sound Studies and Sonic Arts, he has worked for several architect and artist studios in Berlin and London, designing museum scenography, exhibitions, and art installations.

Samuel focuses mainly on sound and archival practices as an artist, constantly exploring how sonic activism and aural architecture can impact listening. He has created site-specific installations and sound-focused objects that deal with sonification, sound relocation, field recording, and virtual reality. Samuel's academic and artistic research is at the intersection of queer and sonic spatial practices. He teaches seminars on sound mapping and curating at Humboldt University and Berlin University of the Arts.  He is actively involved in conducting soundwalks and urban sonic diagramming workshops.

www.perea-diaz.es