In through the Archive: Echoes from a local community

In this paper we will present a project in which we have orchestrated a collective
listening process framed around the notion of the echo - and the interactive listening machine Ekkomaten – to build a participatory sound archive that reflects people’s perceptions and imaginations of a local community in the city of Aarhus Denmark. The archive is seen as indicative to the rhythm and nature of the place revealing not only aspects of the lives that unfold, but also how people sense and interpret the local community through their auditory sensibility. During the project we have asked people of all ages including children in the local youth club to collect sounds and stories from their neighbourhood by handing out a range of sound probes, containing small portable sound recorders, note books and more. The participants were encouraged to collect
and notate sounds from the neighbourhood of different qualities i.e. sounds they like or dislike, sounds they find intimidating or pleasing, sounds that evoke imaginations, good or bad connotations, or sounds that represent their home, their favourite place etc. Additionally, we have collected several lengthy interviews with people who have lived in the area for many years. The sound material has been organized in an archive, whichis handled by custom build software (API), and accessible through a physical, designfictional
machine called Ekkomaten. In the paper, we would like to discuss the project
in relation to the following subjects:
1) Methodology: Collective listening processes and design fiction as new ways of creating and communicating urban soundscapes.
2) Critical reflection: How to engage people in reflections on the environment in which they live through their auditory sensibility.
3) Aesthetics of participation: Participation as sensation and affective modes of listening.