Sound Mapping Workshop at Go Go Gozo 2016

"What spaces do sounds occupy? And what are the characteristics of the Gozitan soundscape?" These questions have been the subject of a workshop held by IDG Assistant Lecturer Costantino Oliva as a part of the Go Go Gozo Erasmus course. The EU funded project took place in Gozo during 10 days, during which different methodologies have been employed to rethink islands spaces.

Most of the tools we use to understand and make sense of spaces are derived from ocularcentric paradigms, but with every landscape comes an aural counterpart: the soundscape. What does our listening practice tells us about space? During the workshop, students held sound walks in Victoria, Gozo, identifying relevant sounds and analysing acoustic environments. The austere Cittadella, and its new soundscape generated by the sounds of tourism; or the modern, pre-designed acoustic experience of a mall. By applying soundscape methodologies to the specifities of Victoria, students highlighted startling contrasts, usually relegated to the lower levels of our perceptual attention.