Understanding Space through Sound

How can sound be shaped by spaces and how can people’s experiences be affected through the manipulation of acoustics as a function of architecture?    

“…no sound exists outside of space, and no space is ever truly silent.  Sound and space mutually reinforce one another in our perception; the qualities of a space affect how we perceive a sound and those of a sound affect how we perceive a space.” Colin Ripley, In the Place of Sound

 “…by listening we may be able to perceive the relationship between subject and object, inside and outside, and the public and private altogether differently.”  Michael Bull and Les Black, The Auditory Cultural Reader 

SHAPE (size) and MATERIAL

            I would like to investigate the shaping of experience through the acoustical characteristics of architectural constructs, specifically through the use of observed properties of geometric spaces, phenomena resulting from the relationships between adjacent spaces, as well as the use of materials and placement of objects within a space to enhance or distort existing soundscapes.

            More specifically, I am interested in how these criteria might be employed in order to create aurally specific spaces.  For instance, a reverberant passageway that slowly transitions to an insulated environment simply through the use of materials and their composition.  Another example could be orchestrating the absence of sound in an extremely ambient space.  As these phenomena are a result of specific spatial configurations, their classification as such will begin to organize strategies for the development of possible aural interventions.  Topics for study would include: the acoustics of interior and exterior spaces addressing the possible disjunction between the aural and the visual, soundscapes of stacked spaces, embedded spaces etc., the properties of space geometries, and the characteristics of materials and their construction.

Interference, Reverberation and Resonance

            Additionally, I would like to explore the physical relationship people have with the spaces they occupy with regards to acoustic perception.  One might have drastically different experiences from different positions within a room as suggested in the excerpt below from Sabine’s Collected Papers on Acoustics.

                “…it was observed that the pitch of the pipe apparently changed an octave when the observer straightened up in his chair from a position in which he was leaning forward.  The explanation is this: The organ pipe did not give a single pure note, but gave a fundamental treble c accompanied by several overtones, of which the strongest was in this case the octave above.  Each note in the whole complex sound had its own interference system, which as long as the sound remained constant, remained fixed in position.” (pg. 7)

            It is evident that spaces possess certain inherent acoustic qualities, including those of interference (related to a produced signal), reverberation and resonance, but the experience of a signal can also depend on the position of the body in relation to the physical space it occupies.  For example, when one speaks facing a wall or corner, the sound will be louder (actually more powerful), than if you speak directly at a person.

            I am interested in the possibilities presented by these types of interactions between the body and the built environment.  How can these phenomena consciously be employed to create specific acoustic and architectural experiences? Within the framework of the themes above, acoustic interventions can serve as the interface through which people begin to observe and affect their status in the greater public sphere.