The objective of this project is to document the level of noise that exists in modern society: this was achieved by recording a series of sounds situated in one locale. This soundscape is literal in a sense as it seeks to capture all cafes around the world by capturing the soundscape of one.

Acoustic Ecology, or soundscape can be defined as ‘the relationship mediated through sound between human beings and their environment’ (The Audiopedia, 2016).

The term soundscape was coined by Schafer in his book ‘Tuning of the World’, written in 1977: the word itself was derived from the word landscape (Schafer, 1973). Westerkamp (2002) characterised a soundscape as the acoustic manifestation of ‘place’ where the sound gives the inhabitants ‘a sense of place’. It allows its listeners to identify various environments and in some instances it allows people to visualise the scenario.

Modern society has evolved drastically, in relation to acoustic ecology. In the last century alone, there has been rapid growth in noise levels with the invention of cars, planes, radio etc. which has redefined what our natural environment sounds like (Westerkamp, 2002). It is no longer possible to locate an area that hasn’t been affected: this has resulted in there being very ‘little silence’ in modern life (Westerkamp, 2002).

From the turn of the last century, noise pollution has become a serious issue, particularly in urban areas. Cities are now renowned areas of alarms blaring, sirens piercing the air, planes and cars motoring through the roads and the air. While acoustic ecology has always been in existence, it has never been to the same extent as today. The emergence of modern society, it extends throughout the world: it is possible to argue that every continent on the globe has been altered by noise pollution, from big cities like New York city in the USA to a small town of Tulbagh, South Africa (Chattopadhyay, 2012).

Equipment used: Zoom H4n Pro

Software: Adobe Audition