The Musikiosk Soundscape Intervention

MUSIKIOSK SOUNDSCAPE INTERVENTION IN MONTREAL, CANADA

The Musikiosk Soundscape Intervention was an unsupervised installation in Montreal, Canada implemented in August and September 2015 to improve the quality of the urban public experience. The initiators were Romain Dumoulin, Louis Voreux, Nicolas Gautier, Jérémie Voix, Daniel Steele and Catherine Guastavino. Edda Bild and Cynthia Tarlao were strongly involved in the later process and in the associated research papers. The installation allowed users to play audio content through publicly available speakers and had a favorable effect on utilization and ownership of public space.

Left: gazebo in Parc du Portugal; right: users enjoying Musikiosk [1]

August, 2015

CONTEXT

The Musikiosk Soundscape Intervention is an unsupervised installation that allows users to play audio content from their own devices through publicly available speakers. It was implemented as a democratic soundscape installation in the context of an urban pocket park, with the goal of improving the quality of the urban public experience for users of public space [1].

INTERVENTION STRATEGIES

Musikiosk allowed users to connect their devices with an audio jack or Bluetooth. The installation also featured an audio card and a calibrated electret microphone for monitoring acoustics. Automatic playback adjustments based on time-of-day, system logs for usage frequency, and pre-set night-time shutdown (10 PM). In the intervention phase, users and non-users were asked to complete questionnaires and the park was systematically observed during and outside of system use. Community outreach events were also held on Tuesday evenings, where researchers observed how users interacted with the system and each other, as well as the overall dynamic of the park [1].

September, 2015

OBSERVATIONS

To assess the impact of Musikiosk on park users' public experience, the researchers employed a mixed-methods approach incorporating surveys, interviews, and sound level measurements. The findings indicated that the installation had a favorable effect on the utilization and ownership of public space by enabling users to customize their audio content and fostering social engagement during early and late evening periods [1].

References

[1] Steele D, Bild E, Tarlao C, Guastavino C. Soundtracking the Public Space: Outcomes of the Musikiosk Soundscape Intervention. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2019; 16(10):1865. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16101865

Entry submitted by: Xiaochao Chen