Sound is integral to soundscapes of our sprawling cities’ fabric. Sound can be understood in the context of culture, Sterne (2012) describes sound as an energy, that conveys emotional, geographical and social identity. Therefore, sound from its source can encapsulate entire cultural histories, due to its ability to secrete deeply powerful meaning that generates an array of emotional responses. Sound can become responsible for creating a relational space, in which memories are shared through language and identity (Sterne,2012). Soundscape studies have become integral to understanding sonic environment and how human experience can be subjectively understood in relation to sound. This field of study is interested in the abundance of acoustic information that fills our cities, which Schafer (1993) understands as an acoustic representation of contemporary life that expresses the vocabulary of a cities sounds but also, it’s deeper features.
Soundscape is often defined as a relationship between man and his sonic environment (Shafer,1993). Similarly, Traux (2012) supports Schafer’s preliminary theories, stating that soundscape represents more than our awareness of physical representations, but more so our primitive cognitive perceptions of environments. Therefore, it can be assumed that soundscape can be understood as a way of grasping a greater insight into social relations, society itself and culture.
Urbanisation has firmly established itself sonically within our lives (Seto et al, 2013). Chaudhuri (2015, p.111) understands urbanisation as an energetic shift involving migration of physical and cultural groups from rural to urbanised areas. This transformation of social processes, such as the introduction of multiple ethnic groups or diffusion, which inevitably shapes sonic experience of a city (Narasaiah, 2003, p.17). In addition, spatial diffusion is a form of globalisation, whereby there is an expansion of cultural traits or traditions that develop from an origin, like a minority group, and spread into larger areas. This can begin in ethnic villages, where settlements of similar backgrounds, begin as cultural microcosms, which encapsulate fundamental characters of a community. From this they expand as more people settle, and thus they begin to shape a city (Vilalta,2008). However, with urbanisation comes gentrification as existing communities become displaced in favour of urban expansion and renewal. Gentrification can be understood as an urban restructuring process, that accommodates dislocation of working-class communities in favour of a more affluent portion of society (Paton, 2016). Sonic representations of these areas are often associated with different cultures, music and accents, that creates a sense of identity, belonging and connection to a community or neighbourhood. However, these types of sound marks become invisible as neighbourhoods are silenced through gentrification. Thus, rapid demographic and social change alters the sound and noise of working-class neighbourhoods. Therefore, soundscape offers a more nuanced account of how gentrification influences sound of the city. Thus, this dissertation will examine how spaces are shaped through sound in social and cultural terms and aims to explore how soundscape in urban environments are identified by the characteristics of different cultural groups. Furthermore, it will highlight how spaces in cities are more than just geographical separations, but rather areas with meaning and denotations that are reflective of neighbourhoods that reside there. Crucially, how soundscape is shaped by culture, art, race and social status will also be examined, using the cultural city of London as an example. Integral to this examination will be explorations into impacts of urbanisation and gentrification on the soundscape.
There is limited contemporary literature on social city soundscapes, highlighting a need for discussion into how we, as humans, contribute to ever-changing soundscapes of cities. Therefore, this dissertation aims to discuss factors of social change and how it can shape the sound of a city, whilst understanding the constant transitional state of cultural soundscapes. The analysis of London as a case study will aim to provide insight into relevant concepts of soundscapes within a real-life city. London is one of the most socially and culturally diverse capitals, making it an ideal subject for discussion on what constitutes city soundscapes. Through, analysing areas such as the heavily gentrified area of Brixton, will allow exploration into relevant cultures and their impact on soundscapes in London. This will aid in showcasing how they have influenced the sonic environment, which contributes to the distinctive acoustic fabric of the city. Moreover, examinations of relevant cultural groups will aid in understanding how they specifically provide meaning to sound, and due to issues like gentrification and immigration, there is a levelling of soundscape that removes a cities charisma defined by social sound. Similar city case studies on soundscapes will also be examined to highlight the impact of city renewal and gentrification. This analysis will help to provide further understanding into concepts of sonic place and will assist in providing some context to theories found in my own research.
PLEASE NOTE: You must be a member of the University of Lincoln to be able to view this dissertation. Please log in here.