LAB "sound-wall" (PRESS RELEASE)

PRESENTATION AT

THE BYZANTINE AND CHRISTIAN MUSEUM
SEPTEMBER 9, 2008
20:00 – 21:00
LAB "SOUND-WALL"
BY RECONSTRUCTION COMMUNITY

"UN-BUILT"
BYZANTINE AND CHRISTIAN MUSEUM
SARCHA / School of ARCHitecture for All


t-ihos
an experimental model of participatory design for a city rendered visible through its sounds

The action for the project has evolved through various stages of preliminary planning and gradual realisation since November 2007; in greek, the original title that literally means "t-sound", rings like "wall", "rampart", "barrier" (1); urban soundscapes are investigated and recorded; we are thinking of ways to modify functions and our relationship with public sound –the sound of our daily lives in common.

We focused on mapping the noise of the city, that is, the sound stimuli that are directly associated with social structures, cultural practices, economic relations, the quality of human communication, the mediation of technology, e.t.c. The sound of the city is our vital sound and it constitutes a picture of our social interaction and the quality of our life in common. It presupposes and depends upon the environment, while affecting simultaneously the procedure of its transformation. Its flux bears the mark of the existing social organisation (social relations, hierarchies, conflicts, pending changes).

As regards the "physiognomy" of the city, sounds are equally decisive as architecture because they definitely reflect its way of life. The sound-noise of the city reflects the distinction between public and private within the logic of the system on which cities and post-modern societies are founded: closed windows, desertification of public space, inhospitable urban landscapes, restricted private residences or whole neighbourhoods functioning like castles and sleep districts.

We should make clear that none of our actions are aimed at creating less lively cities. For each of our interventions within the framework of the project "t-sound", we are basically seeking to involve local communities (residents, minorities e.t.c.) for the participatory design and realisation of actions.

Lab "sound-wall"

All materials from recordings and actions are reproduced on a digital map (www.reconstruction.gr) that comprises images, text and sound from various urban locations. The map will constitute a sonic indicator of life in the city in an array of soundscapes from neighbourhoods, human gatherings, physical or social spaces e.t.c.

The sound map will be presented in the "t-sound" lab (September 9, 2008, Byzantine and Christian Museum, 20:00 - 21:00). There will follow a presentation of the ideas, the planning and the evolution of goals and corresponding actions; finally, we will hold an open discussion for all parties involved including visitors.

SOUNDSCAPES OF THE CITY OF ATHENS
ACTIONS AND RECORDINGS

Graffiti alert and participatory design of sound road signs
Area: Exarcheia (Reconstruction Community and members of the Initiative for an Exarcheia citizen Committee of Residents).
We are recording the levels of sound and will paint graffiti signs, so as to indicate itineraries of low or high volume levels within the neighbourhood. Together with local citizens we design and install sound signs conducive to a new awareness and the management of public noise.

“Rechurch”. A sonic mass gathering
Field investigation and recordings carried out in spaces of ritual worship in Athens. These soundscapes were recorded in different spaces of religious worship; the action constructs a sonic network attempting to connect the diversity of cultural backgrounds that share the city.

elaionas.wav. Sound bank
Area: Elaionas (area known as the Athens olive grove)
Our teams will be wandering in the area to record industrial sounds and relevant high volume environments.

Organisation: Reconstruction Community
Participants: members of the Exarcheia Initiative for a citizen Committee of Residents, Kostas Kakavelakis (composer, academic and member of the society for acoustic ecology)
Collection and elaboration of sound materials: Leandros Ntounis
Digital sound-map design: Dionysis Kotopoulos
Idea and coordination of Rechurch: Magda Tammam
Sound signs design: Giorgos Vitsaropoulos, Thanos Zakopoulos

Sponsor:
Compuvideo (Yiannis Malatantis)

(1) A pun bearing on the questions we ask regarding the objectified dimension of sound; how it is restricted to specific boundaries and consequently, our attempt to map such segmentation (private-personal / public-collective).

photos: night recording at Exarcheia, by � Kleopatra Moursela