Kıvılcım Göksu Toprak

University College London

Audial Snapshots: Capturing Urban Transformation in Everyday Soundscapes

Panel: Technology

Urban heritage serves as a living testament to the dynamic interplay of time, space, and culture within our cities. By reinterpreting and acknowledging these elements, heritage fosters connections not only between people, places, and traditions but also across evolving urban landscapes. This study explores the transforming soundscape of London's Vauxhall district, capturing the experience of everyday life through a bottom-up lens critiquing overarching historical narratives through its method.

The canvas of this exploration is an elevation drawing of Miles Street and Fentiman Road, where urban evolution unfolds from one end to the other. Through a multi-sensory approach, it visualizes the shifting cultural tapestry in degrading hues and evolving shapes, translating soundscapes into a vivid visual archive.

Drawing on scholars like Arkette and Schafer, the project identifies 'keynote sounds,' 'sound marks,' and 'sound signals'—from rustling leaves to racing cars and construction cranes. These auditory snapshots form a dynamic timeline, capturing phases of contemporary street life and prompting viewers to envision potential futures. This exploration transforms urban sounds into a compelling visual narrative, offering a journey through time and space.

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Kıvılcım Göksu Toprak is a practicing spatial designer and researcher focusing on heritage and memory studies. Her work focuses on empathetic design, memory-identity-space relationships, cultural heritage, phenomenology, urban and cultural resilience, social sustainability, and understanding the complex relationships of tangible and intangible urban heritage.