Sound worlds and everyday space

The starting point for this project was my MPhil thesis (University of Leeds, 1995)
Aural Geographies. An Investigation of Sound In Everyday Space, which has as its
subject matter the concept of sound in everyday space. The MPhil thesis argued
that in considering everyday space more attention should be paid to the aural
experience. The argument did not try to `bolt on' what is heard to what is seen.
Rather it contemplated the intricate relationships between the visual and aural
senses within everyday space.
Following from the work which was undertaken for the MPhil it became
clear that further and more substantial research into the area of sound and space was
merited. This research has been carried out at the University of East London as a
PhD programme, under the supervision of Professor Andrew Blake, who introduced
me to numerous aspects of music analysis. The thesis acknowledges and expands
upon the work on sound carried out by the limited number of social theorists who
have addressed this issue such as Adorno, Attali and in particular Schafer and his
work on soundscapes. There is discussion throughout of the inspirational ideas of
John Cage.
The aim of the thesis, which is explored through many inter-related pieces of
analysis and empirical work, is to expand upon our knowledge of the role of sound
in everyday life. The thesis contributes towards knowledge by providing many new
insights about the soundworld and its place in human experience. As befits a thesis
which centres on the aural, the research methods are also innovatory allowing the
readers/listeners themselves to experience sound worlds. The thesis therefore relies
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heavily on newly-developed new recording/mapping techniques, using high quality
audio recordings which are then used to produce digital sound maps in the form of
hypermedia made available on a CD-ROM. The thesis demonstrates how these
maps enable us to comprehend some of the complex sensory processes associated
with sound worlds.
Sound worlds are the main focus here, and in particular the way in which
sound worlds are constructed by individuals. Where the MPhil examined sound in
public spaces, this thesis further reflects on that investigation before going on to
investigate the sound worlds generated in the living room (a key everyday space).
This enables us to hear/see how the sound worlds associated with the living room
link up with other everyday spaces. The contention is that sound is crucial for the
organisation and operation of everyday space
Though the thesis is persuasive in indicating the importance of the aural in
everyday life, the question arises as to how the relationship between the aural and
the visual can be represented in academic work, and especially in the discipline of
geography. This question is addressed in the thesis by the presentation of a number
of specially developed aural terms, such as `sonic order' and `sound maps'. The
thesis describes how people organise their activities around sonic order, and
explains how conflicts arise over sonic order. The thesis concludes that sound maps
are present in everyday space and that people use them to navigate everyday space.
This sensitivity to sound spaces generates geographical (aur/imagin)ations, which
are in turn subject to study from within the discipline of geography.

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