SOUNDkitchen SOUNDwalk: Winterbourne Gardens

SOUNDwalk: Winterbourne Gardens

Location: Winterbourne House & Gardens, Birmingham B15

Duration: 45 mins

Created by Iain Armstrong & Annie Mahtani

SOUNDktichen were commissioned to create a SOUNDwalk for delegates of the Royal Musicological Association annual conference which was held at the University of Birmingham in September 2015.

The 45 minute walk began beneath Old Joe, the clock tower in the centre of University Square and followed a route off campus, across Edgbaston Park Road and into Winterbourne Gardens.

Once on site the walk stopped at several listening points both in the gardens and in the adjacent Edgbaston Nature Reserve. Walkers were encouraged to listen to sonic features of the environment such as the wind in the beech trees, their footsteps on changing surfaces, wildlife and distant traffic. In addition we provided three augmented listening stations where the listeners hearing ability was augmented with the use of technology. By the edge of the Edgbaston lake hydrophones in the water allowed participants to compare the soundscape above and below the water’s surface. In the woodland area a sound recording transported them to a rainy day sheltering under the giant rhubarb. Finally as the walk concluded contact microphones attached to the nut walk (a tunnel frame trained with hazelnut) revealed the movement of the plant in the wind against the metal frame.

SOUNDwalk: Winterbourne Gardens

Location: Winterbourne House & Gardens, Birmingham B15

Duration: 45 mins

Created by Iain Armstrong & Annie Mahtani

SOUNDktichen were commissioned to create a SOUNDwalk for delegates of the Royal Musicological Association annual conference which was held at the University of Birmingham in September 2015.

The 45 minute walk began beneath Old Joe, the clock tower in the centre of University Square and followed a route off campus, across Edgbaston Park Road and into Winterbourne Gardens.

Once on site the walk stopped at several listening points both in the gardens and in the adjacent Edgbaston Nature Reserve. Walkers were encouraged to listen to sonic features of the environment such as the wind in the beech trees, their footsteps on changing surfaces, wildlife and distant traffic. In addition we provided three augmented listening stations where the listeners hearing ability was augmented with the use of technology. By the edge of the Edgbaston lake hydrophones in the water allowed participants to compare the soundscape above and below the water’s surface. In the woodland area a sound recording transported them to a rainy day sheltering under the giant rhubarb. Finally as the walk concluded contact microphones attached to the nut walk (a tunnel frame trained with hazelnut) revealed the movement of the plant in the wind against the metal frame.

A version of this walk is available on SOUNDwalker. To experience this location-based walk please download the free SOUNDwalker app to your smartphone. The app will stream audio if you have a good connection, but this can use up your data and battery life. You can use wifi to download the audio files in advance so it will run offline. Open the app, select ‘a-n Assembly’, click the download button.

Travel to Winterbourne House & Gardens, Birmingham, open the app and select the ‘Winterbourne Gardens’ walk from the menu. Plug in your headphones then make your way to the listening points shown in the app where the audio tracks will begin to play.

Please note there is an entry fee to enter the house and gardens.

A version of this walk is available on SOUNDwalker. To experience this location-based walk please download the free SOUNDwalker app to your smartphone. The app will stream audio if you have a good connection, but this can use up your data and battery life. You can use wifi to download the audio files in advance so it will run offline. Open the app, select ‘a-n Assembly’, click the download button.

Travel to Winterbourne House & Gardens, Birmingham, open the app and select the ‘Winterbourne Gardens’ walk from the menu. Plug in your headphones then make your way to the listening points shown in the app where the audio tracks will begin to play.

Please note there is an entry fee to enter the house and gardens.