The purpose of this project is to introduce some tools for dealing with sound in design research. In this study, I consider sound as an object in its own right. This is a theoretical analysis which will attempt to change the perception of so-called ‘noise’, which is often considered an annoying part of our soundscape, to a stimulus that creates a positive experience.

The soundscape is the sonic environment of the world; it is any acoustic field of study. A soundscape can be defined as a musical composition, radio programs, a forest, or a school, or an isolated acoustic environment.

The sense of participation based on balance and consistency between human expression and natural sounds is completely altered by the emergence of a quantitatively immeasurable sound reality. In this situation, the individual becomes a simple passive receptor, a spectator of an uncontrollable reality. The soundscape necessarily implies a reference to a cultural, symbolic and social milieu. Using the study of acoustic phenomena and coding theory, it is possible to reflect on soundscapes in a meaningful way and thereby make it accessible to designers. The questions to be examined are: What is relevant when we hear a sound and how can knowledge affect the environment and human awareness? How should these sounds be conceptualised?

Analysis and knowledge is required in order to obtain awareness and understanding of sensory data, sound in this case, to process what we perceive and to derive some meaning. It is possible to capture small details in the environment and take them all in to see the whole. The aim of my project is to explore the connections between sound and perception through the decoding of rules of physics, cultural aspects, and parameters contained in sound. This research and design is about looking for something in a focused and systematic way, to create a new knowledge through active experimentation and also interpretation of new sound sensations. This project explores listening to ‘noise’ to develop a new attitude to understanding sounds and music in order to arrive at a new way of thinking that helps the listeners understand the shapes of sound through analytic investigation. This research can be of help for designers, city planners, musicians, artists, and those who want to experience new perceptions.

The object of my study is to analyse the sound that breaks the boundaries and fills all spaces to an almost overbearing degree, which can then be isolated and understood. The sound that enters the body and makes it alive; it permeates the space, yelling forcefully with its being.

My project is a board game, a new tool to further explore the complexities of perception of sound. The game proposes a new approach for understanding city and develop project trough investigation into the relationships between soundscape and city.

The city of Reykjavik, with all city environment condensed in a narrow space, provided me an excellent study typology.­­

 

 

 

 

 

 

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