What Sound Can Do: Listening with Memory

Abstract

In this article I offer a reflection on soundscape research and, in so doing, discuss how creativity, memory, and personal experience intersect in our sonic perception of the world. Drawing on scholarly literature that considers how sensory perception provides opportunities to engage with others and our surroundings to make meaning, I find parallels with the notion of sonic perception and its potential as discussed by Hildegard Westerkamp. In recounting an examination of the history of the World Soundscape Project, I also draw attention to the importance of being open to unexpected moments of recognition and awe when conducting research and the possibilities that arise from those moments.