Belfast Sound Map / Sound Walk 100413

Belfast Sound Map

The Belfast Sound Map is an open resource that aims at engaging local communities in capturing everyday sound and hence characterise the soundscape of the city. We encourage not only the submission of sound recordings, but also other forms of experiencing and registering sound, such as text or image. The overall design of this platform facilitates this multiplicity of approaches, while also allowing participants to create their own projects. These are presented as separate, individual layers of recordings within the map.

The user/listener is also invited to explore the map in various ways, including an autoplay mode which creates a sequence composed of different recordings.

The map serves as a platform for a series of local workshops, in which we will share with the participants the concepts behind this work, exploring the rich relationship between sound, place and everyday life.

The Belfast Sound Map was designed by Pedro Rebelo, Rui Chaves, Matilde Meireles and Aoghus McEvoy in collaboration with Max Stein and is maintained by the Sonic Arts Research Centre, Queen's University Belfast. The Belfast Sound Map was first exhibited at the Metropolitan Art Centre (MAC) in 2012 in the context of the Sounds of the City project.

Made possible with the support of the National Lottery Heritage Fund

Place NI hosted a workshop about the project. Participants were given recording equipment and taken on a walk around the centre of Belfast to listen and collect recordings. Afterwards everyone talked about the experience and wrote some extracts which were uploaded to the map.