Listening to / in Public Space

Justin Bennett

As an artist working often with audio walks I often have the nagging thought: does using headphones to present sound in public space immerse the listener in a bubble, separating them from their surroundings? This research looks at the form of the audio walk and the possibilities of using binaural recording, narrative devices and locative media to prioritise engagement with the environment. In addition it documents the re-activation of an older work of mine in a app using geo-location and it collects documentation of a number of walk-pieces including scripts, audio files, maps and other background information. Lectorate Music, Education and Society, Koninklijk Conservatorium, Den Haag. 2023-24

Zuidas Symphony Amsterdam 2009

Zuidas Symphony was started during a residency at the Vrije Ruimten Zuidas, Amsterdam in 2008. It is related to a number of other works that deal with urban change, and the role of art and the artist in public space. These include the audio piece Shotgun Architecture, the experimental film Brunelleschi's Mirror and the animation City of Progress. It was comissioned and produced by Soundtrackcity.

Along with the script I include Shotgun Diary - a text which gives more background to this work.

Zuidas Symphony has already been implemented in Tracks but the piece itself should also probably be updated due to drastic changes in the area.

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