Building for Capturing Public Mind Through Ears: Evolution of Architectural Typology as a Mechanism of Auditory Deception and Urban Control

Abstract

Abstract:The paper takes the notion of soundscape and its relation to power relations within the scope of architecture. Indeed, sound has long been devised as a tool so as to control people and urban realm. The paper discusses the politics, aesthetics and social character of urban soundscape by elucidating the materialized shape of sound, that is to say; the close relationship between architecture and sound, between materiality of the physical form and its audio-spatial experience to understand how soundscape is controlled by architectural means for establishing power over masses and class segregation in various contexts. Similar to the case of physical-landscape, the soundscape in various types of buildings also manifests the idealized power relationships in any society through the control of sound in architectural space. Therefore, the auditory characteristics of these spatial precedents are elucidated in this study. It is argued that sound is a very political entity and auditory mechanisms are utilized for the purposes of both surveillance and suppression of political opponents. The paper intends to demonstrate that sound has a very dark history under the disguise of grandiose aesthetics, and thus, it is very important in establishing power. Spatial typologies are classified according to their auditory functions in relation to establishing power in urban realm.Key words: Politics of sound, soundscape, aural space, auditory surveillance, auditory suppression. Introductıon The paper discusses the role of "sound" in shaping our physical environment and argues that despite the dominance of visual and relevant aesthetic attributes of almost all edifices, there is a subtle yet very strong auditory agenda behind the majority of architectural activity. This agenda can be summarized as an endeavor to control the sound and its impacts on individuals as well as masses in order to manipulate the public perception (and thus, their thinking and responsive behavior) within a controlled spatial setting whereby this hidden agenda is enhanced with visual and other means of architectural design. Hence, architecture appears to be closely associated with power and with control of public realm not only via physical organization of space or spatial semantics, Corresponding author: Murat Cetin, associate professor, Dr., research field: urban morphology. E-mail: murat.cetin0001@gmail.com. but also via auditory design of an intended soundscape that is accomplished by architectural components as a systematic analysis of architectural precedents could clearly reveal. This paper intends to elucidate the auditory raison d'etre of architectural precedents that are selected from spatial typologies of both public control and power exertion.Indeed, scholarly work has long argued and proved the direct relation both between power and landscape (i.e., space and/or place), as well as between power and soundscape. Foucault [1] interprets the association of space with identity as a problem of power and governance. Similarly, Dovey [2] points out t...