Semester 01 Sound and Memory Readers
Introduction
It was my intention to combine all of our senses as part of my final project. However, there was no clear path, and I became confused.
As a result of reading several readers, I decided to focus my research on the perception of sound, although I may try to incorporate other senses during prototyping in order to enhance sound interaction. These readers helped me to gain a general understanding of sound interaction design. I found the keyword 'Soundscape' in the reader, 'Sonic Interaction Design'. The concept of the soundscape intrigued me, so I searched for more readers on the subject. I was inspired to pursue my research on soundscape by R. Murray Schafer, who popularised the concept of the soundscape. From researching soundscape, I became interested in soundwalks, and determined that this would be my primary research focus for my final year project.
The book Playing with Sound was published in 2019 by Karen Collins, and examines how players interact with the sonic elements of video games and their experiences with them.
Published in 2013 by Karmen Franinovic and Stefania Serafin, Sonic Interaction Design summarises emerging topics, theories, methods, and practices in sonic interaction design. A particular emphasis is placed on the multisensory aspects of sonic experience.
R. Murray Schafer wrote The Soundscape in 1993, a concept coined by him—that describes the sonic environment in which we are all immersed, the ever-present array of noises that surround us. As civilisation develops, new noises from airports, streets, and factories are masked, masking the natural sounds of nature. In his book, the author claims that we are suffering from an abundance of acoustic information as well as a corresponding decline in our ability to hear the nuances and subtleties of sound. We must listen, analyse, and distinguish between sounds.
Img.1 - Playing with Sound by Karen Collins 
Img.2 - Sonic Interaction Design by Karmen Franinovic and Stefania Serafin 
Img.3 - The Soundscape by R. Murray Schafer 
Img.4 - Sound Souvenirs by K. Bijstervel and J. van Dijck
How sound can affect memory
The book Sound Souvenirs written by K. Bijstervel and J. van Dijckh in 2011, helped me make the connection of how sound can be memory and the soundwalk is a tool that can help me achieve this. It would be interesting if I could make someone recall memories of a space when hearing the field recording samples. I could not find sufficient readers like “Sound Souvenirs” so I am planning to research readers in other fields like nostalgia, memory or media studies.
Sound Souvenirs shows the importance of how sound can be a method to recall the past and how important is our need for belonging. The increased usage and collection of 'sound souvenirs' such as cassette tapes and vinyl records shows that we want to recreate or keep a record of the music or everyday sounds we once cherished.