Noise Issue: Brazilian Cities and Sound Pollution

Noise Pollution (2:13) This Portuguese language TV news report addresses the problem of urban noise that disturbs an estimated 40% of the population who suffer from sleepless nights. Traffic, emergency vehicles, air flights, and other acoustic events are the blame. In the state of São Paulo, the police receive some 3500 calls every day because of noise issues. Source: Journal Nacional.

Project: Save The TANK

The Tank (3:25) The tank is an acoustical marvel, a spiritually altering experience found nowhere else on earth. A 60’ tall, 30’ across rusted steel water tank – never used – was discovered in Colorado by sound artist and sonic thinker Bruce Odland in 1976. A small group of musicians has been recording there ever since. It is a sonic wonder with a shifting, swirling reverberation longer. 

Note: This video is part of a Kickstarter project to raise funds to save the Tank. It is included in this directory because of its unique acoustic characteristics and uses by sound artists.  Source: Kickstarter

Project: Crowdsourcing the Quiet

Crowdsourcing (1:40) "Some people think cities are only places of noise," Jason Sweeney explains, "but I think they have the potential to provide both chaos and calm." 

It's much easier to find noise, at present, but Sweeney and his team of designers and artists are trying to change that through the Stereopublic project. With support from City 2.0 Award and the Creative Australia initiative, they will build an online space--likely web and smartphone based--where people can essentially geo-locate and crowd-source quiet spaces. Source: YouTube and TEDX

Soundscape Installation: Music and Torchlight at the Pitt

Music and Torchlight (5:17) On Friday November 23rd 2012, the galleries of the Pitt Rivers Museum (Oxford, UK) were plunged into evening darkness and bathed in Bayaka music and sound from the Central African Republic. Visitors were given torches (flashlights) to explore the galleries that were transformed into a rich forest soundscape with sung fables, snatches of laughter, beautiful variations on harps and flutes, and the stunning polyphonic singing of Bayaka women. Source: Vimeo.

Soundscape Composition: A Forest Year

A Forest Year (2:53) Samuel Orr has created a fascinating time-lapse video made from 40,000 still images taken from his front window over 15 months. Although not a true "soundscape composition" (he has used nature sound clips combined with music) the video  illustrates so well the changes that take place within a forest environment. Actual listening in such a space would be greatly modified by the seasonal shifts and the effect they would have on the acoustic space this scene represents. Source: Vimeo

Soundscape: Glacier Calving

Glacier Calving (4:42) On May 28, 2008, Adam LeWinter and Director Jeff Orlowski filmed a historic breakup at the Ilulissat Glacier in Western Greenland. The calving event lasted for 75 minutes and the glacier retreated a full mile across a calving face three miles wide. The height of the ice is about 3,000 feet, 300-400 feet above water and the rest below water.

The film Chasing Ice won the award for Excellence in Cinematography at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival and the Best Documentary from the International Press Association. It has won over 30 awards at festivals worldwide. Still playing in theaters nationwide. Source: YouTube.

Education: The Gift of Sound

The Gift of Sound (2:05) To children who are deaf and hard of hearing, sound can be a beautiful thing. Just listen to the kids of the Center for Hearing and Communication and the sound that fascinate them. The Center is committed to helping people overcome the challenges of hearing and listening issues. Source: YouTube

Education: The Acoustics of Toys

Julius Sumner Miller (May 17, 1909 – April 14, 1987) was an America physicist  and television personality. He is best known for his work on children's television programs in North America and Australia. Click2Read more about Dr. Miller. 

In the following video Dr. Miller explores the acoustics of simple toys that use basic physical principles. He explains how sounds are made and how their soundmaking properties can be altered by simple factors such as heat. These are classic videos in that the toys presented are quite simple in this age of robotic toys and computer chip sounds.

Part 1 (7:53)

Part 2 (6:05)