7 March 2018 @ 3:00 pm

Sound as Imaginative Agency: theory and practice of urban soundscape design

Despite cities around the world being unique, soundscapes are increasingly homogenised by contemporary technologies. In this talk Jordan Lacey explained how environmental sounds can be harnessed and designed to transform everyday experiences.

Jordan proposes that urban soundscape design should focus on facilitating imaginative encounters rather being reduced to the quantitative concerns of anti-noise approaches. His aim is to contribute to the development of cities that consider its inhabitants as diverse and creative, not just extensions of efficiency and functionalism.

In this talk he explored this through a discussion around his recent research and installations, which he has used to test his assumptions about how to use sound to produce creative cities.

This forum took place at on 7 March.

Watch a recording of Jordan's talk here

Biography

Jordan Lacey is a vice-chancellor’s research fellow at RMIT University researching the interface of the sonic arts and urban design. His recently published book Sonic Rupture (Bloomsbury 2016) describes a new approach to urban soundscape design, which involves the strategic placement of urban sound installations to improve human wellbeing. He has created numerous sound installations for industry and government both for the purposes of public art and ameliorating everyday problems (specifically, noise). Jordan is author of numerous journal articles and has presented his research and sound works at several international conferences.

hiddensounds.com.au