SOUNDkitchen are interested in encouraging people to engage with their sound environment. We have been devising and leading SOUNDwalks that provide unique opportunities for participants to actively listen to the sounds around them.
Guided by the SOUNDkitchen collective, these walks typically involve simple 'ear cleaning' exercises designed to draw attention to different sonic features particular to the location. We are also interested in extending the walker's listening abilities, augmenting the natural hearing range through the use of audio technology. This may include listening to recorded audio tracks that present recordings from locations at different times of day, night or year. We might transport listeners to visible landmarks such as inside a church or onto the roof of a distant building. We also use carefully placed microphones to enable walkers to hear hidden sounds from locations that are usually inaccessible such as under water, high in the branches of trees or inside objects.