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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Please read about Hildegard Westerkamp:
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.
I would also like you to read the following two articles further discussing soundwalks.
- 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.
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)
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.