Imagine the soundscape of the city a thousand years from now. Which sounds have remained and which have disappeared? How does the way we listen in the here and now enable us to evolve the future?

SONOTOMIA Sound Anatomy of Unique Places investigates sound as a unique artifact of cultural and natural heritage. The SONOTOMIA project unfolds through artist residencies in selected sites of study in Portugal, Spain and Hungary. SONOTOMIA Residency 3.0 takes place from May 5-15 in Budapest, Hungary hosted by the Spatial Sound Institute.

The present soundscape of Budapest can be distinguished by the variety of sounds characteristic of urban environments, such as traffic noises, human sounds and construction work noises. In contrast, the Danube river and many larger green areas intersecting and surrounding the city also generate sounds of nature. Budapest is home to a diverse range of historic and cultural monuments, many of which are designated as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The city has a strong musical profile, with many important contributions to folk and classical music, among other genres.

During 10 days, 7 participants of the residency will be working in intercultural groups investigating the entangled urban and natural areas that identify the city of Budapest as a socio-cultural, geographical and biophysical environment. They will investigate the state we are in as a society by its sonic imprint, raising questions about how we want our future environments to sound like. Which sounds do we keep, (re-)introduce or abandon? Moving beyond the oversaturation of acoustic and informational noise so typical of our present societies, how does it sound like when we imagine a new equilibrium with respect to the integrity of the human and non-human individual and collective being?

The resulting library of recordings of the city will be merged with recordings collected from previous residencies in Alentejo, Portugal and Albarracín, Spain to form an interlocal assemblage composed for the bespoke 60-channel 4DSOUND system at the Spatial Sound Institute. By sampling, merging and juxtaposing sonic memes from contrasting and complementing environments and integrating them into one sonic space, participants will be creating an immersive audition of our (non-)urban future.

The results of the residency will culminate in a Sound Exhibition open for the public on May 14-15th at the Spatial Sound Institute, presented in collaboration with art quarter budapest, as a part of the aqb Open House.

Location: Nagytétényi Út 48-50 1222 Budapest Hungary