Bruce, N., 2022.

Extending Soundwalking Practice : Soundsitting as an additional method to Soundwalking

Soundwalking has become an established methodology for soundscape research, with applications for a wide range of academic research applications, artist practice and as a method for exploring, educating and understanding soundscapes. From urban planning, pedagogical practice to health and well-being, the soundwalk is used as a tool for phenomenological participant study of sound environments and provides an effective way of engaging participants in a qualitative research.

This work proposes the 'soundsit' as an additional method to extend current soundwalking methodological practice, and to address issues of transition, changing context, event occurrence and temporality which occur on a traditional soundwalk. The soundsit provides the participant and researcher a fixed place, within a defined soundscape context, enabling them to gain a longer term experiential understanding of a space. Soundsitting allows the soundscape to settle into a steady state, comparable to capturing LAEQ measurements.

In addition, soundsitting allows for a participant to disengage the visual sense, allowing for deeper listening to a soundscape, without the safety implications and distractions of walking, allowing for a different type of immersion through engaged active listening, something which is not possible on a soundwalk.

Soundsitting can be used in conjunction with or as part of a soundwalk, however, it can be used as a practice in its own right, soundsitting offers a deeper qualitative analysis and insight to the soundscape of a specific space or location.