Revoicing the Striated Soundscape

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RESEARCH BACKGROUND: 'Revoicing the Striated Soundscape' was a site-specific multi-channel sound installation involving four recycled aircon units, presented in a laneway off Little Latrobe Street in Melbourne CBD. It was one of five projects commissioned by the City of Melbourne (COM) as part of the 2012 Public Art Program. The installation comprised eight soundscape compositions, running on a 90 minute loop. RESEARCH CONTRIBUTION: This project relates to a field of creative research into the role of sound installations in public spaces. It emitted a sound that interacts with adjacent traffic sounds. It presents original research as an example of the application of sound spatialisation technology to a public installation. While sounds are typically played through speaker arrays as mono or stereo playback, Lacey explicitly transformed existing sound environments by recording those sound enviornemnts, shaping them in the studio and then returning the sounds to the existing environment. In so doing his project contributes to soundscape design by way of transforming the typical sounds of a laneway into altered experiences. The project experimented with techniques for transforming site-specific sounds throug recording, editing and reintroduction, to contribute new knowledge on the application of spatialisation software to urban sound installations. It demonstrates Jordan's ongoing practice-based research exploring artistic and conceptual developments in the field of sound studies, which he applies to urban soundscape design innovations. RESEARCH SIGNIFICANCE: The project was awarded a Category 1 Public Art Commision. Its significance is evidenced by its selection from a competitive range of applications, and received external review via Fairfax media. (cont. on coversheet)