presentation by https://www.tunedcity.net/?page_id=1113Justin Bennett[/intlink]
Shotgun Architecture is an ongoing project that plays with concepts of subjective measurement, translations between sound and image and above all the idea of the publicness of public space. It was started by Justin Bennett during his residency at the Virtual Museum Zuidas in Amsterdam. Bennett recorded the sound of a pistol shot in a number of semi-public open spaces in the Zuidas area. These collected acoustic signatures were processed further in two ways. On the one hand, Bennett created a sound composition which explores the resonances of the chosen places. On the other hand, he used the recordings as a kind of sonar; the stereo (and therefore 2 dimensional) sound data was analysed for spatial and spectral characteristics which were plotted against each other resulting in an visual map of the acoustic space. These maps, drawn by a computer program, resemble the visual spaces themselves in terms of scale: a larger, open space results in a wider pattern of lines. The experience of listening to an urban soundscape is difficult to describe, in words or in notation. These maps suggest a way to describe the open-ness or closed-ness of spaces, the density of reflections and reverberation, the presence of strong resonances or mechanical drones.
The Shotgun Architecture project has taken various guises up until now: a vinyl release, an installation and a film soundtrack.
appearance at Tuned City
Subjective Soundscapes / 08.07.11