Background Information
Soundwalks as a practice and art form are a natural extension of our notions of soundscape. The traditional notion of a soundwalk essentially turns it into a “moving soundscape.” A practitioner or participant is asked to take a walk, and instead of focusing on the interactions and interplay of sonic events from a single location, the practitioner is asked to listen to a dynamically evolving soundscape that is also in relation to their movement.
When experiencing a soundscape, you would sit still. The only thing to change in a soundwalk is walking around.
Hildegard Westerkamp is credited with the creation of this term and practice.
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If you are interested, you can read about Hildegard Westerkamp:
Hildegard Westerkamp, born in Osnabrück, Germany in 1946, moved to Canada in 1968 and has lived on the ancestral lands of the Coast Salish peoples ever since. After studying music at the University of British Columbia, she joined the World Soundscape Project at Simon Fraser University (SFU) under R. Murray Schafer. This experience deeply shaped her thinking about sound, music, and the environment, ultimately leading to her career in soundscape composition.
Her work has been performed globally and featured in films by Gus Van Sant, such as Elephant and Last Days. She continues to collaborate with other artists, creating sound installations and electroacoustic compositions. In 2024, Westerkamp received an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree from Simon Fraser University for her contributions to the field of sound art and acoustic ecology.
Westerkamp’s legacy endures through her mentorship of emerging artists and her pioneering work in listening and soundscape studies.
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I would also like you to read the following writing about soundwalks by Westerkamp from one of her works NADA. In particular, I want you to pay attention to how she relates soundwalks to soundscape. Additionally, there is a list of tips for a soundwalk. Please take a soundwalk, and contemplate each of these tips individually while on your walk.
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I would also like you to read the following two articles further discussing soundwalks.
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OPTIONAL -I highly recommend reading these two short soundwalk guides before starting your soundwalk. It will help you plan and offer ideas/sugestions and give you a better idea on what I am looking for in this weeks homework assignments.
- Soundwalking by Hildegard Westerkamp, 2001.
- A Pocket Guide to Soundwalking. Antonella Radicchi, 2017. (PDF Download)
Recording a Soundwalk
A soundwalk can also be something that is recorded. To do so, a practitioner may either carry a recording device in their hands, or utilize ear-worn mics,so that they can more seamlessly exist on their walk. This is how binaural audio recording is done, using a technique known as dummy head recording, wherein a mannequin head is fitted with a microphone in each ear. These “dummy heads” are priced around $9,950.00! **Binaural recording is intended for replay using headphones and will not translate properly over stereo speakers. These days, theres an actual mic for it!
The below image is one example of a microphone being worn in my ear. (I recorded a binaural piece a number of years ago out at Coney Island in NYC.
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Different Kinds of Soundwalks
Soundwalks can also focus on non-traditional types of sonic events. The following link discusses the ideas of soundwalks in relation to a different kind of sound-event.
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