Critical dialogues 1

Critical Dialogue 1: David Chapman and Louise K. Wilson takes us into the area of sound studies, as they describe their acoustic reconstruction of a 19th century folly (the Temple of Decision) and several other sound projects at the Falkland, Scotland estate of the Marquis of Bute. They also describe the acoustic archeology that has already been done at the estate and their own interest in this – including a possible example of Victorian sound design in a series of differently tuned cascades in the estate grounds. This work is also related to their other projects which include Louise’s work at Cold War sites in Britain and Australia that explore the relationship between memory and sound, and David’s soundscape work that engages particularly with nature and the environment. Their work, both separately and together, demonstrates the new awareness of sound as a constitutive feature of cultural life as well as of individual being – and describes some of the creative ways in which this relationship is now being explored and enhanced