Hyper-Soundwalk Series: hyper-soundwalking through technologically-augmented natural sonic environments

Abstract

<p><strong>Motivated by an observed deprioritisation of outdoor environmental listening in the contemporary era, the Hyper-Soundwalk Series research project is introduced as a series of sonic art installations realised following a ‘soundscape-specific’ popup exhibition strategy in outdoor natural environments. The exhibition strategy introduced in this thesis fuses methodology from soundwalking with sonic installation art to prioritise in-situ sonic conditions when selecting installation locations. The term hyper-soundscape is coined to describe a sonic environment that is augmented with sensor and actuator technology to encourage in-situ listening. In addition, the term hyper-soundwalk is coined as a soundwalk conducted through a hypersoundscape.</strong></p><p>To realise Hyper-Soundwalk Series installation scenarios, three hardware projects follow an iterative development process where they investigate different methods to collect and redirect attention to the in-situ sonic environment. This is accomplished by designing and exhibiting electronic soundscape augmentation artefacts purpose-built to investigate different soundscape augmentation modalities which the artefacts use to collect and redirect attention to the in-situ sonic environment. The first category of artefacts, Speculātor, collects attention using non-cochlear augmentations. The second group of artefacts, Explorator, leverages audio- and environmentally-reactive non-cochlear kinetic visual feedback and mechatronic-based cochlear feedback. The third category, Legatus, specialises in audio recording, synthesis, and a loudspeaker-based vocalisation system.</p><p>To support the realisation of soundscape augmentation in outdoor natural environments, the self-powered soundscape augmentation artefacts introduced in this thesis prioritise transportability, modularity, environmental reactivity, and environmental resistance. Eight artefact hardware variations are exhibited within dozens of Hyper-Soundwalk Series installation scenarios across two continents. The pop-up installation strategy is shown as a novel approach to expanding the reaches of sonic installation art to locations where these works are rarely exhibited. This research reveals significant untapped artistic potential in focusing, highlighting, and prioritising in-situ biophonetic and geophonetic sonic actors over the artist’s cochlear and ocular creations. By leveraging the ever-changing environmental and sonic characteristics of outdoor natural locations, this work provides a new approach to hybridising technology-facilitated sonic art with the practice of soundwalking.</p>