The Geneva Sound Map project is very much a sound map of my personal experience of living in Geneva, mainly during the summer period. It’s a map that I was building as I got to know Geneva, and many places that I recorded were places I went to for the first time. It is a subjective map –the sound experience of a city can vary considerably depending on each person, because each person listens to and lives the city in their own way– and it is incomplete –many others places could be added to the map, although the map will continue to grow as long as I live in Geneva–. However, I think that it is a project that can contribute to, through the recordings of different soundscapes, the listening of the city of Geneva, to perceiving it and to knowing it through its sounds and noises, through an attentive listening to its different places, and especially to its different people.
Why work with noises and sounds? Why talk about listening? Why record soundscapes? Why make a sound map?
Because sounds bring us memories and emotions, they help us to communicate, to locate ourselves in space, time and the context in which we are.
Because they help us to know the places where we are as well as other people.
Because our life is intimately linked to sounds; they are necessary heirin, although we are not always aware of it.
Because soundscapes are the result of biological, geographical, physical, social, cultural, economic, political, technological, population characteristics… The soundscape can be defined as the set of sounds and noises of a place which are produced (intentionally or not) through its physical and social characteristics.
Because attentive listening to our soundscape helps us to describe and interpret our context.
Because there are sounds; soundscapes that we can recognize, with which we can identify; the voices of our family and friends, diverse musics, the sounds of our houses, neighborhoods, schools, etc. There are many sounds which are part of our daily lives.
Because sounds change throughout the day, the week, the season, over the years, I consider it interesting to record them and archive them. Because sounds can be the sign of the presence of other people.
Because thinking about sounds is to thinking about life.
Because listening is opening ourself to the world.
Because I hope to reflect, describe and think about our environment, our context, our people and ourselves, through listening and through the sounds that surround us.
Sound Map:
The use of headphones is recommended
À la Pointe
Date and time of recording: 22/09/2018 – 18h47
Antigel / Meyrin-Parc
Date and time of recording: 16/02/2019 – 19h30
Antigel Run / Parc de la Grange
Date and time of recording: 26/01/2019 – 18h14
Baby-Plage
Date and time of recording: 24/07/2018 – 17h03
Bains de Pâquis
Date and time of recording: 24/07/2018 – 18h03
Balexert, Vernier
Date and time of recording: 20/08/2018 – 12h42
Bel-Air
Date and time of recording: 28/08/2018 – 17h22
BIG
Date and time of recording: 29/06/2019 – 21h32
Black Movie / Théâtre du Grütli
Date and time of recording: 25/01/2019 – 21h54
CAC
Date and time of recording: 06/01/2019 – 15h16
Café Art’s
Date and time of recording: 22/10/2018 – 20h27
Café du Grütli
Date and time of recording: 25/01/2019 – 19h20
Café Mutin
Date and time of recording: 23/05/2019 – 20h04
Café Remor
Date and time of recording: 06/01/2019 – 17h25
Cave 12
Date and time of recording: 26/09/2018 – 22h36
Cinéma Les Scala
Date and time of recording: 17/09/2018 – 21h14
CinéTransat / Parc de La Perle du Lac
Date and time of recording: 21/07/2018 – 21h51
Coup de Girafe
Date and time of recording: 01/11/2018 – 20h58
Course de l’Escalade / Course de la Marmite
Date and time of recording: 01/12/2018 – 19h52
DAF
Date and time of recording: 02/05/2019 – 22h14
El Catrín
Date and time of recording: 16/11/2018 – 21h48
Falaises de Saint-Jean
Date and time of recording: 16/09/2018 – 18h20
Falaises de Saint-Jean (de nuit)
Date and time of recording: 26/08/2018 – 21h28
Fête de la Musique
Date and time of recording: 23/06/2019 – 20h33
FIFDH / Théâtre Pitoëff
Date and time of recording: 16/03/2019 – 13h22
Gare Cornavin
Date and time of recording: 20/08/2018 – 19h31
Genève-Plage, Cologny
Date and time of recording: 23/08/2018 – 18h29
Genève-Servette HC vs HC Fribourg-Gottéron
Date and time of recording: 13/10/2018 – 21h50
Get A Nerve! / Villa Sarasin, Grand-Saconnex
Date and time of recording: 30/01/2019 – 19h49
Grand cortège historique de l’Escalade
Date and time of recording: 09/12/2018 – 19h44
Grève de Femmes
Date and time of recording: 14/06/2019 – 19h03
Jardin Anglais
Date and time of recording: 15/09/2018 – 18h41
Jeu d’échecs au Parc des Bastions
Date and time of recording: 20/08/2018 – 17h17
L’Arcade aux Grottes
Date and time of recording: 29/09/2018 – 0h38
L’Escale / Quai Gustave Ador
Date and time of recording: 23/08/2018 – 21h17
La Barje des Lavandières
Date and time of recording: 22/09/2018 – 19h57
La Bâtie / L’Abri
Date and time of recording: 31/08/2018 – 22h28
La Gravière
Date and time of recording: 23/08/2018 – 0h39
La Makhno / L’Usine
Date and time of recording: 25/08/2018 – 0h34
La Parfumerie
Date and time of recording: 23/08/2018 – 0h05
La Petite Reine
Date and time of recording: 24/08/2018 – 23h09
Le Cabinet
Date and time of recording: 13/09/2018 – 22h22
Le Jardin des Nuages / Shanti Club
Date and time of recording: 26/09/2018 – 18h15
Le Lignon, Vernier
Date and time of recording: 30/09/2018 – 18h32
Le Pachinko
Date and time of recording: 21/01/2019 – 21h34
Les Pâquis (Rue de Monthoux, Rue Charles-Cusin, Rue Sismondi et Rue de Berne)
Date and time of recording: 24/08/2018 – 22h41
Luna Park / Plainpalais
Date and time of recording: 06/01/2019 – 17h58
Maison de Viola
Date and time of recording: 23/10/2018 – 23h24
MAMCO
Date and time of recording: 06/01/2019 – 13h39
Marché au puces de Plainpalais
Date and time of recording: 22/08/2018 – 12h09
Marché de détail du Boulevard Helvétique
Date and time of recording: 22/08/2018 – 11h26
Marché des Grottes
Date and time of recording: 30/08/2018 – 20h08
MEG
Date and time of recording: 06/01/2019 – 16h12
Meyrin (Avenue de Vaudagne et Avenue François-Besson)
Date and time of recording: 29/08/2018 – 20h49
Mouette Ligne M2 Eaux-Vives – Pâquis
Date and time of recording: 24/08/2018 – 15h29
Nathan Café
Date and time of recording: 13/11/2018 – 20h43
Noël aux Bastions
Date and time of recording: 08/12/2018 – 22h31
Nuit des Bains / Quartier des Bains
Date and time of recording: 13/09/2018 – 20h59
Ondulor
Date and time of recording: 25/10/2018 – 21h56
Parfums de Beyrouth
Date and time of recording: 16/02/2019 – 21h06
Paroisse catholique de Saint-Maurice, Veyrier
Date and time of recording: 21/10/2018 – 20h05
Picto
Date and time of recording: 24/01/2019 – 20h24
Place du Marché, Carouge
Date and time of recording: 22/08/2018 – 12h34
Place du Molard
Date and time of recording: 20/08/2018 – 16h17
Pointe de la Jonction
Date and time of recording: 20/08/2018 – 18h16
Quai du Jet d’Eau
Date and time of recording: 15/09/2018 – 19h12
Quai Gustave-Ador
Date and time of recording: 27/08/2018 – 19h39
Rue de l’Ecole-de-Médecine
Date and time of recording: 13/10/2018 – 22h29
Rue de Rive, Rue de la Croix-d’Or et Rue du Marché
Date and time of recording: 26/09/2018 – 18h40
Salon du Livre
Date and time of recording: 01/05/2019 – 18h10
Saveurs et Couleurs
Date and time of recording: 24/08/2018 – 19h12
Scène Ella Fitzgerald / Parc de la Grange
Date and time of recording: 22/08/2018 – 21h25
Sentier des Saules
Date and time of recording: 05/09/2018 – 17h29
Skatepark de la Plaine de Plainpalais
Date and time of recording: 26/09/2018 – 18h15
Téléphérique du Salève (France)
Date and time of recording: 23/07/2018 – 14h45
Tibet Café
Date and time of recording: 10/01/2019 – 20h30
Tram 12
Date and time of recording: 12/09/2018 – 18h14
Tropical Corner, Cologny
Date and time of recording: 23/08/2018 – 19h16
Vapiano
Date and time of recording: 25/10/2018 – 12h05
Vielle Ville (Rue de l’Hôtel-de-Ville, Place du Bourg-de-Four et Rue de la Fontaine)
Date and time of recording: 27/08/2018 – 18h13
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Sound Map of (my) Geneva by Balam Ronan is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
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