“About two decades ago, my friend Bob – a mover and shaker of sorts in the art world – took me to an artist’s studio in a (then, at least) scruffy area of lower Manhattan. The artist we were meeting, whose name I have long since forgotten, worked in the medium of environmental sound. His studio was full of wires, speakers in odd places, and control boards. He was working on some installations in public spaces where he would create low-volume sound that a passer-by would notice only when it stopped, meaning that to the listener the entire experience was created by memory.
I was fascinated, partly because the whole idea of ambient sound was intriguing, but also because it suggested that our ability to perceive sound was less than straightforward. We’ve all had the experience of being on a plane or in a restaurant where a small child was crying loudly, wondering why the parents didn’t seem to be bothered at all. Would it have been different if it had been someone else’s child? Had they become so accustomed to it that they didn't notice or weren't affected? …” To read more, click below!
Taming the sound of the city: dealing with noise pollution
SWiTCHBOARD
By: Kaid Benfield
May 15, 2012
For full article, please click here: http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/kbenfield/taming_the_sound_of_the_city_d.html