Moving Through Sound: The Role of Mobile Sonic Technologies in a User's Experience of Urban Place

by Rachel O'Dwyer

'Moving Through Sound' explores the role of mobile sonic technologies in a user's experience of urban place. It examines how mobile technologies such as the mp3 player are embedded in urban spatial practices, focusing on how listeners use these devices in urban situations to construct their experience of place. A common criticism of mobile technologies in the city maintains that these highly personal devices disconnect the user from the here and now, producing urban spaces absent of social and collective behaviour. This book argues instead that the everyday practice of moving and listening to music is a transformative activity that shapes urban experience and contributes to the identity of urban places. This book considers the future design and application of mobile sonic devices, exploring media art and critical design work as tactical interventions which engage alternative possibilities for social and site-specific listening experiences in urban place. A transdisciplinary text that spans audio culture, media studies, urban studies and art and design, 'Moving Through Sound' is written for legibility across a variety of disciplines.

112 pages, Paperback

Published November 28, 2010