Heeley People's Park: An Aural History
Frauke Behrendt defines ‘placed sound’ as “the distribution of sounds in (outdoor) spaces” using GPS to soundtrack participants' trajectory according to their specific location. Located in Heeley, Sheffield, this placed sound experience is designed to allow three generations of a local family to guide participants through the woods and open green spaces of Heeley People's Park. Albert will share its past; a housing estate with neighbouring forests, streams and infrastructure. Andy will describe how his community Trust found it - derelict and grassed over following the estate’s demolition to make room for a dual carriageway that was never built - and the process of its development into the park seen here today. Ollie will highlight its importance to his and future generations.
With direct and personal connections to the site, and unique perspectives spanning three generations, Albert, Andy and Ollie have each been interviewed on location. These ethnographic interviews are intended to reflect the history of the site, and their sensory experiences within it. In this way, participants can gain direct insight into eight decades of an evolving landscape, and the dramatic changes undergone. Field recordings captured in and around the park have been layered to reflect the dialogue, and processed to create an immersive experience which fluctuates between naturalistic and musical. Listen as trains that would once have stopped at the now defunct Heeley Railway Station, evolve into percussive instrumentation. Birdsong, church bells, squeaky swings and more transform into melodies, while tonal drones are formed from the sounds of a running stream that once ran through Heeley. Hear the intrusive noise of traffic, now so prevalent to this landscape, as they literally distort and degrade the peaceful sounds of nature.
In order to make the most of these unique interviews, participants are encouraged to remain in each zone until the dialogue is finished. Given the limited scale of the park, a leisurely pace will impart a more rewarding experience. However, there is no set path and any route you choose will be soundtracked according to your unique location. The longer you stay in a zone up until approximately five minutes, the more the compositions will develop. Some locations within the zones offer their own unique sonic additions to the soundscape which will gain clarity as you approach their source. Other sounds and instruments will only be heard should you enter their specific location. The park is home to an abundance of pathways and trails, and the more you explore, the more you will hear.
This audio augmented reality is intended to reflect the unique and turbulent history of the landscape, and the sensory experience of those within it. Over time, this experience has changed with the shift from dereliction to greenery, from trains to cars, and from community, to consternation and (hopefully) back again. 'Heeley People's Park: An Aural History' offers site-specific discourse on these changes.
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