Catalogue of Soundscape Intervention

Sonic Gathering Place

SONIC GATHERING PLACE, RMIT CAMPUS, MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA

The Sonic Gathering Place (SGP) is a biophilic soundscape intervention located at the Alumni Courtyard on RMIT University’s campus, Melbourne, Australia. Initiated by an Australian Research Council grant awarded to Jordan Lacey and RMIT University Property Services, the project engages students, university staff, and the general public. The installation, ongoing since October 27, 2021, features urban furniture designed to integrate sound with nature, enhancing the effects of biophilic design.

INTERVENTION STRATEGIES

The Sonic Gathering Place (SGP) is a circular park bench, 6.5m in diameter, that houses four speakers and 8-planter boxes. The circular structure comprises four quarters that connect to form a whole. Each quarter holds two planter boxes with plantings from one of four National Parks – Terrick Terrick, French Island, Otways Foreshore and the Alpine region. The seating is 1m deep, and at a standard 600mm height. It is made of galvanized steel and modwood (recycled plastic). Beneath is secured an environmentally-protected electrical box with an audio system that drives four environmental speakers. The four speakers play field recordings collected from four national parks in the Australian State of Victoria.
In the first instance, the SGP is circular for one simple reason. Most of the field recordings collected are ambisonic recordings. These microphones produce a 3D recording of space, and are designed for the purposes of creating playback conditions that are as close as possible to initial listening experiences. The four-speakers create a diversity of spatial listening experiences. Pauline Oliverios’ Deep Listening is a key influence. When reading Oliverios’ book, Deep Listening: A Composer’s Sound Practice, some of the exercises include creating a circular arrangement within which a group of people can connect with each other through a deep listening – to themselves, to each other and to the environment. Another key influence is the practice of Deep Listening as explained by various Indigenous artists including Miriam-Rose Ungunmerr-Baumann and Vicki Couzens as means to connect with country and to one another [1].

References

[1] Lacey, J., Brown, A. L., & Anderson, C. (2024). Sonic Gathering Place: implementation of a biophilic soundscape design and its evaluation. Landscape Research, 1-19. https://doi.org/10.1080/01426397.2024.2372441

Case provided by: Jordan Lacey, Lex Brown & Charles Anderson. Edited by: Xiaochao Chen