Make a sound garden grow

Abstract

The Walkman and iPod have often been viewed as individualizing technologies. People use these forms of mobile media to impart a sound track of their own choosing over their experience of physical space. However, newer mobile projects have examined the links that tie mobile media and sound to experiences of movement. These projects focus on the collaborative construction of shared soundscapes through mobile media, in a sense responding to the individualizing tendencies of dominant auditory mobile media. This article draws from literature in sound studies, media studies, and locative media art to examine these relatively new forms of what we call social soundscaping. Through our analysis, we show the potential for new mobile sound practices that allow for the more participatory production of public soundscapes.The Sony Walkman has done more to change human perception than any virtual reality gadget. I can't remember any technological experience since that was quite so wonderful as being able to take music and move it through landscapes and architecture. (Gibson, 1993, n.p.) What were once new media are often quickly enfolded into daily life and rendered somewhat invisible (Baym, 2010;Marvin, 1988). The Walkman is a prime example. As William Gibson