{"id":1726,"date":"2019-04-09T03:53:13","date_gmt":"2019-04-09T03:53:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.wri-101k-s19.andrewrippeon.com\/blog\/?p=1726"},"modified":"2019-04-15T15:21:53","modified_gmt":"2019-04-15T15:21:53","slug":"the-manufactured-soundscape","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wri-101k-s19.andrewrippeon.com\/blog\/uncategorized\/the-manufactured-soundscape\/","title":{"rendered":"The Manufactured Soundscape"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Soundscape of a library is one that is encountered daily by most students at Davidson College and impact their study habits. In this project, I compare and contrast the different levels of of the library and how their different soundscapes came to be and what kind of environment this creates. I look at furniture layout, architectural design, and even how different purposes on different levels create positive feedback loops to help sustain the soundscape. The recordings show the different feelings created by different types of soundscapes which impacts the type of studying done in an environment, from relaxed to serious. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <\/strong>The Davidson soundscape\nis one that combines both natural, urban, and educational influences for the\nbetterment of its students. While some soundscapes are simply a result of how a\nplace took shape, something like a college has more intentional meaning behind\nthe design of its spaces. For Davidson this is most evident in the Little\nLibrary, a space designed and regulated to have unique soundscapes on the\ndifferent levels. While the entire building is meant to be a study space and a\nplace for students to come when they need different resources, these amenities present\nthemselves in a specific way on each floor. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; To properly understand soundscapes and how I will talk\nabout soundscapes, first I need to establish the terms I will be using to talk\nabout it. In Schafer\u2019s piece \u201cThe Soundscape\u201d he identifies different types of\nsound. There is noise, which he defines as the sounds that have become such an\nintegral part of the environment that they blend in and are mostly unnoticeable.\nThere are keynotes which stand out and catch our attention. There are also\nsignals which stand out like keynotes but also deliver information, such as an\nalarm or a ringtone. Lastly there are soundmarks, which like landmarks, we seek\nout or make for the purpose of listening to it. These are the terms I will be\nusing to talk about the three levels of the library and how they sound. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio\"><audio controls><\/audio><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The first floor of the library is almost contradictory in\nits sound. It is simultaneously a place where students flock everyday and yet\ndespite the numbers, it is relatively quiet (at times). There is still plenty\nof noise on this floor. From the hushed conversations around the room, to the\nclick clack of a computer, or the flipping of pages and pens, the room is full\nof sounds that have become part of the environment and become ignored unless\nyou are aiming to listen to them. Occasionally a signal will pierce the calm\nbut active soundscape of the room. This could be in the form of a computer\nalerting its user that it is low in battery or a phone letting someone know\nthey are getting a call. These sounds are ones we are always ready to respond\nto. Even if it is not my phone ringing I may check to see if I have any notifications\nwaiting for me on my phone. If I hear a computer saying it needs to be plugged\nin, then I will check to see how my computer is doing. As time passes when I\nsit in the library, I may occasionally hear a tour group come in. This sound is\ndistant but is enough to make me more aware of my surroundings. It becomes a\nkeynote in a way. Because it gets louder, I almost wake up from ignoring the\nsounds around me and suddenly become more aware of the presence of others. In\nmost cases, these distractions would cause students, myself included, to listen\nto music. Having music available as a soundmark helps me to turn signals and\nkeynotes into noise, or the sounds I have learned to ignore. Its almost like\nhow stubbing your toe makes you forget all about how your hand hurts. Even if\nmusic isn\u2019t perfect silence, it becomes the only thing I hear. All of these\nsounds can change. As the sound levels of the room ebb and flow, so too does\nthe definition of these words. What normally might be noise in a louder\nenvironment can become a keynote in a quiet one. When the library becomes more\nstill, even the scratching of pencil can be heard more clearly cutting through\nthe silence, changing it from being a noise to a keynote that brings me back to\nawareness of the world. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; While this soundscape is not all that unique, the reason\nit has come to be is. The reasons behind the manifestation of this has to do\nwith the purposes of the space. First and foremost, it is a study space. This is\nwhy so many people come together and yet there is still almost a hushed vibe to\nit all. While it is quieter than most spots on campus, the first floor still\nhas plenty of background sounds thanks to the set up and purpose. Beyond just\nbeing a study space, the first floor of the library is great for working in a group\nor with friends in a social environment. This is reflected in the furniture\nthroughout the room. There are long tables that can accommodate large groups\nand loads of tables for smaller groups. Also, these places where people may study\nare not strictly separated. You can see clear across the room without any visual\nor auditory obstacles. What results is a more relaxed environment. The space is\nnot so stressfully quiet that you can\u2019t work but it also isn\u2019t so loud that you\nroutinely get distracted. It is for this reason that the space was designed\nlike this. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The\nlibrary\u2019s second floor soundscape has some similar features to the first level.\nYou can still hear faint conversations from the floor below, but they are more\ndampened. The sound of typing and pages turning is still apparent, even more so\nthan on the first floor. When I am up there I can hear the sounds of lights\nhumming and the AC working. Each cough, sneeze, and movement stands out far\nmore than before. More than anything when I\u2019m there, I become aware of my own\nsounds. I hear the typing, my breathing, and my shifting more so than before.\nIt\u2019s nice and its quiet but not unsettling. There\u2019s enough background sound from\nthe space around me that I can still settling into my own bubble. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The\nexplanation for this floor\u2019s soundscape is the same of the first floor in that\nis meant for a certain type of studying. On the second floor study spots are\nmore isolated. While there are still tables for a couple of people, these are\nseparated by bookshelves. This dampens the sound of the area and isolates each\nstudy spot. Also on this floor are study carrels, desks that while connected,\nhave dividers between them. This creates more isolation allowing for more\nfocused and individual studying. This individual studying also means there are\nless people on this floor. With less people, there is bound to be less noise as\nwell. While the second floor is certainly much quieter than the first level,\nthere is still plenty of ambient noise from people studying. They are focused\non individual work but are not concerned with keeping the space silent. Part of\nthe ambient sound comes from the design of the floor as well. The stairs\nwalking up the second floor have a large opening that is connected to both the\nfirst floor and the entrance. On the other side of the floor is a balcony of\nsorts. It leaves a large open area in the ground connecting them to first floor.\nBoth of these spots let sound trickle in from the floor below. It isn\u2019t nearly\nas loud but the conversations and movement below is still heard on the second\nlevel. What this creates is a relaxed environment that allows for serious study.\nThe people there can focus and do good work but still be surrounded by others and\nnot feel alone in their work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While\nthe first and second floors have a feeling of focus without isolation, the\nbasement is much different. Down there it feels as though there is nothing but\nme. All I hear is the faint sound of the AC through the walls. I cannot even tell\nif anyone else is down there. There is no typing, no pages, no scrawling of\npens, just me. Each time I shift my weight I feel as though I am interrupting\nsomeone\u2019s work. I try to calm my breath as to not disturb the silence. Even as\nsomeone walks by, it feels empty. Each clack of my keys sounds like the\ndropping of a shampoo bottle in a shower; loud and disruptive beyond what I\nthought it was capable of. I don\u2019t want to adjust my position for fear of my\nbackpack making a sound. I am legitimately worried about creating sounds. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The earie feeling of being in the library\u2019s\nbasement is again created by the intended purpose of the library. The basement\nhas strict rules when it comes to sound. You are supposed to be quiet. Not just\ntrying to keep it down but being near silent. No music, no talking, and nothing\ndisruptive is allowed don\u2019t there. The unsettling feeling created is compounded\nby the structure and design of the basement. The ceilings down there are much\nlower than the rest of the library. Along with this, the entrance to the basement\nis entirely sealed off. There is a glass wall and thick door to ensure no\nsounds from upstairs will disturb people working. The layout is similar to the\nsecond floor with tall bookshelves blocking off the study spaces so that no\ninteraction between students is even feasible. What this environment creates is\na place that alerts you to any amount of sound at all. Any motion or presence\ncan be detected almost immediately. It also causes people to want to be\nquieter. When people hear themselves move because of how quiet it is, it prompts\nthem to remain quieter and thus creates a positive feedback loop. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These three study spaces are each designed to manipulate their soundscapes for the benefit of the type of work that occurs in each space. While on the first floor there is more open space for conversing, on the second flood there is more separation between students, and in the basement floor there is total isolation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Schafer,\nR. Murray. \u201cThe Soundscape,\u201d in&nbsp;<em>The Sound Studies Reader<\/em>, edited by\nJonathan Sterne, 95\u2013103. New York: Routledge, 2012. <\/li><li>\u201cTEDTalks: David Byrne\u2013How Architecture Helped Music Evolve.\u201d\nPerformance by David Byrne,&nbsp;<em>TEDTalks:\nHow Architecture Helped Music Evolve<\/em>, TEDTalks, 2010.<\/li><\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Soundscape of a library is one that is encountered daily by most students at Davidson College and impact their study habits. In this project, I compare and contrast the different levels of of the library and how their different soundscapes came to be and what kind of environment this creates. I look at furniture [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":55,"featured_media":1727,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1726","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-uncategorized","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wri-101k-s19.andrewrippeon.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1726","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wri-101k-s19.andrewrippeon.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wri-101k-s19.andrewrippeon.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wri-101k-s19.andrewrippeon.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/55"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wri-101k-s19.andrewrippeon.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1726"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.wri-101k-s19.andrewrippeon.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1726\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1767,"href":"https:\/\/www.wri-101k-s19.andrewrippeon.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1726\/revisions\/1767"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wri-101k-s19.andrewrippeon.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1727"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wri-101k-s19.andrewrippeon.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1726"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wri-101k-s19.andrewrippeon.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1726"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wri-101k-s19.andrewrippeon.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1726"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}