Invisible Places

2017
Proceedings of Invisible Places Symposium, Sound Urbanism and Sense of Place, Sao Miguel, Azores.
Paper: Shores, p.554-569

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These proceedings look at (and listen to) the soundscape as a complex system that is one of the means by which we connect with the world. The soundscape is, in essence, the life of a certain space as perceived through hearing. Our understanding results from a cognitive process that involves all the senses as well as our history, context, and culture. An integral part of this process is our acoustic perception, where noise is often overvalued. Although sound is a relevant parameter in human perception, it is often neglected by professionals involved in the planning and design of places. The political discourse at international level has shown a growing concern with the problems of the acoustic world, but this approach is often negative, focused on the quantitative and objective reduction of noise levels, which, although necessary, doesn’t guarantee a signi cant improvement in the sound environment or in people’s satisfaction and quality of life. A multidisciplinary approach is needed. One that among others, adds the contributions of the arts and the social sciences to the physical aspects of sound. (…)

Contributors include: Peter Cusack, Juhani Pallasmaa, Hildegard Westerkamp, Sam Auinger, Jordan Lacey, Stephan Moore, Sarah Pink, Sepei Zhao, Lawrence Harvey, Xiaojun Qiu, Shanti Sumartojo & Simon Maisch; Mikael Fernström & Sean Taylor; Kris Darby; Karla Berrens & Marcos Cereceda; Franziska Schroeder & Pedro Rebelo, Steve Peters, Claudia Martinho, Robin Parmar, Yannick Guéguen, Jen Reimer & Max Stein, Vitor Joaquim, among many others.

Edited by Raquel Castro & Miguel Carvalhais.

ISBN 978-989-746-129-3. 678 pages.

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