Berlin Sonic Places

Invited talk at the symposium 'Recomposing the City: Sonic Art and Urban Architectures' at the Institute for Collaborative Research in the Humanities, Queen's University, Belfast. Abstract: The project Berlin Sonic Places was initiated to explore the importance of sound in the urban context and how it is affected by city planning and development. Reconstruction and development projects of every size and purpose have been a fact of Berlin life since reunification. It is a particularly relevant city in which to discuss the issues. From January to September 2012 Berlin Sonic Spaces brought together the perspectives of different interest groups – local and international artists, architects/planners, sociologists, musicians, residents, administrators, communities and the public – for a wide ranging dialogue on the city’s changing soundscape. Three themed modules were set up in Berlin locations – Prenzlauerberg, Rummelsburg, Tempelhof Airfield – chosen for the types of development that they exemplify. A series of research and sound arts projects were commissioned in each, leading to three one-day events where the work was presented in public as installations, performances, talks and open discussions. Themes included the effect of social changes on city sound environments, methodologies to study urban sound in the context of planning and city soundscapes of the future. This talk gives an overview of the project, but concentrate particularly on two specific locations – Rummelsburg and Nauener Platz – for a more detailed discussion. Today Rummelsburg is a leafy waterside development with a growing residential community. Formerly it was an industrial and prison area with a grim history and reputation. Nauener Platz, in one of Berlin’s poorer districts, has recently undergone a complete reconstruction where soundscape ideas and attention to the acoustic environment have played a major role in the design