Deutsches Historisches Museum - Verf�hrung Freiheit. Kunst in Europa seit 1945 - Blog

“Most people would probably say that architecture does not produce sound, it cannot be heard. But neither does it radiate light yet it can be seen. We see the light it reflects and thereby gain an impression of form and material. In the same way we hear the sounds it reflects and they, too, give us an impression of form and material”

(Steen Eiler Rasmussen – Experiencing Architecture (1959)

In the second part of our symposium, the American artist John Grzinich, based in Estonia, talked about the project ‘tuned city: architecture and sound’ in Tallinn. 

John now collaborates with MoKS (Center for Art and Social Practice), a non-profit artist-run project space in Southern Estonia and works as a sound-video artist, project coordinator and workshop facilitator.

John showed us how it was possible to explore a city via sounds even though cities normally are described in visual terms: ‘But it is often our sense of hearing which assists us in experiencing and navigating through the spaces of urban cities. […] Tuned City Tallinn will undertake an acoustic exploration of Tallinn. The goal will be to identify and explore the sonic landmarks of the city which define its identity, shape its communication and transform the perceptions of its visitors and inhabitants.’

The sonic landmarks of Tallinn are all kinds of things: from pedestrians walking to children singing to street musicians playing and even the sounds of drain pipes. Wanna go for a walk? Here is a link to a map of Tallinn as ‘tuned city’ – listen in!

If you decide against the sonic walk of Tallinn, we picked out our three favorite sounds:

And now watch out for the third part of our symposium in which the two artists Svein Flygari Johansen and Raul Keller talk about their artistic involvement with sound art! (Coming next week..)