Historic Preservation Should Consider Soundscapes, Not Just Cityscapes

In an interview with Preservation Online, author Anne Matthews explains the growing movement to preserve historic sounds.

1 minute read

November 30, 2007, 9:00 AM PST

By Scott Ewart

"...the world is getting infinitely noisier very fast. Alex van Oss is very eloquent on the subject in my story. We are literally not wired to handle the noise, and yet when we seek silence, tranquility, and natural sound, the social, cultural, and geographical barriers are higher than ever."

"Thousands of sounds have been preserved lovingly on the Internet. I especially like The Library of Vanished Sounds, and specialized sites like Historic Naval Sound."

"[The preservation of sound will become more of an integral part of historic preservation] especially as we move away form the urge to re-create and then freeze-dry pretty buildings and think more about human narrative, the material-culture matrix, and the art of hearing time."

"If you're over 40, especially, browse that wonderful book, "Going, Going, Gone" (by Susan Jonas), and marvel at how much has slipped away: the burr of the rotary phone, the rat-tat of a manual typewriter. Daily sounds go extinct all the time."

FULL STORY: Lost and Sound

Thursday, November 1, 2007 in Preservation Online

History / Preservation North America

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