The project toposonie::spree consists of a sound walk with new technology: a smartphone application (app), with which sounds are played back depending on the position within the urban space and can be listened to with headphones.
In contrast to an audio guide with a fixed route and duration, it is possible for the listener to move about freely within the area at his own pace. By means of GPS, sounds are precisely attuned to the location of the listener. Thus, it is also possible to start at any point within the area of the sound course on the banks of the Spree.
The course follows the pedestrian paths along the banks of the Spree west and east of the Friedrichstrasse railway station in Berlin-Mitte, with approximately 30 sound points and a length of around 60 minutes.
The entire sound course has four sections, from the Bode Museum to the Federal Press Conference, which are con-nected by six bridges. The course leads through very different urban spaces, architectures and urban situations, from the stone waterfront steps at the Reichstag to the green arbour along the Spree near Tucholskystrasse, from the restaurants at Schiffbauerdamm to the rough cobbled streets at the Kupfergraben. At every point, GPS localization, together with a map displayed on the smartphone, provide the listener with information about his location and the route of the various stops during the sound course. – It is also very easy to let yourself be guided by the Spree, however, and follow the sounds without any technical assistance.
The visible and audible surroundings are overlaid with a second (audible) layer with the sounds in the ear. Sounds are superimposed over the events, they colour the world around the listener and disconcertingly reveal another reality with layers and narratives behind the outwardly perceptible surface. The interiors of the buildings in the museum and government district, which are only visible from the outside, become audible as artistically intensified atmospheres, sounds and voices.
These voices do not appear by chance – they are the invisible voices on the political scene, the lobbyists, who approach the sound walk participants suddenly and unexpectedly.
In contrast to an audio guide with a fixed route and duration, it is possible for the listener to move about freely within the area at his own pace. By means of GPS, sounds are precisely attuned to the location of the listener. Thus, it is also possible to start at any point within the area of the sound course on the banks of the Spree.
The course follows the pedestrian paths along the banks of the Spree west and east of the Friedrichstrasse railway station in Berlin-Mitte, with approximately 30 sound points and a length of around 60 minutes.
The entire sound course has four sections, from the Bode Museum to the Federal Press Conference, which are con-nected by six bridges. The course leads through very different urban spaces, architectures and urban situations, from the stone waterfront steps at the Reichstag to the green arbour along the Spree near Tucholskystrasse, from the restaurants at Schiffbauerdamm to the rough cobbled streets at the Kupfergraben. At every point, GPS localization, together with a map displayed on the smartphone, provide the listener with information about his location and the route of the various stops during the sound course. – It is also very easy to let yourself be guided by the Spree, however, and follow the sounds without any technical assistance.
The visible and audible surroundings are overlaid with a second (audible) layer with the sounds in the ear. Sounds are superimposed over the events, they colour the world around the listener and disconcertingly reveal another reality with layers and narratives behind the outwardly perceptible surface. The interiors of the buildings in the museum and government district, which are only visible from the outside, become audible as artistically intensified atmospheres, sounds and voices.
These voices do not appear by chance – they are the invisible voices on the political scene, the lobbyists, who approach the sound walk participants suddenly and unexpectedly.
The sound course takes the listener through the lobby jungle in 14 scenes, with disruptive actions in the Reichstag, past a session of the Bundespressekonferenz [Federal Press Confer-ence], over a blogger’s disclosures about the classified infor-mation office of the Bundestag to the Career Center at Hum-boldt University, where “public affairs” and “political con-sulting” agencies introduce themselves.
In addition to other lobbyist positions, such as the “Gay Lobby at the Vatican” and “Lobbyism in the School”, reactions to and reflections on this social theme are presented, inclu-ding the voice of Paul Watzlawick from his lecture on the construction of reality.
Between the scenes, which are similar to radio plays, real and unreal sounds continually appear that colour and trans-form the environment on site, such as at the six bridges, each of which has been “tuned” to a particular resonant frequency.
The sound walk thus becomes a personal game with reality that affords the listener an acoustic glimpse behind the post-card views along the banks of the Spree. The moment of reality is greatly intensified as a result of the special record-ing technology, thus creating disconcerting perceptual perspectives.
The listener may spend longer or shorter periods of time in the various sound fields, go back and forth to reach particular sound points, continue walking or change directions. The sound walker thus walks through his own “work,” his personal sound walk. A participating listener’s walk can also be recorded – in any length, whether he moves through the sound course for only 10 minutes or 2 hours – and afterwards he can make “his” sound walk accessible to others, share and invite them to listen to it.
Participants need a smartphone (Android/iPhone) with head-phones and have to download the radio aporee – App first.
In addition to other lobbyist positions, such as the “Gay Lobby at the Vatican” and “Lobbyism in the School”, reactions to and reflections on this social theme are presented, inclu-ding the voice of Paul Watzlawick from his lecture on the construction of reality.
Between the scenes, which are similar to radio plays, real and unreal sounds continually appear that colour and trans-form the environment on site, such as at the six bridges, each of which has been “tuned” to a particular resonant frequency.
The sound walk thus becomes a personal game with reality that affords the listener an acoustic glimpse behind the post-card views along the banks of the Spree. The moment of reality is greatly intensified as a result of the special record-ing technology, thus creating disconcerting perceptual perspectives.
The listener may spend longer or shorter periods of time in the various sound fields, go back and forth to reach particular sound points, continue walking or change directions. The sound walker thus walks through his own “work,” his personal sound walk. A participating listener’s walk can also be recorded – in any length, whether he moves through the sound course for only 10 minutes or 2 hours – and afterwards he can make “his” sound walk accessible to others, share and invite them to listen to it.
Participants need a smartphone (Android/iPhone) with head-phones and have to download the radio aporee – App first.
toposonie : : spree is a sound walk that can be taken independently with a smartphone app at any time, for as long as you wish, in summer or winter.
The sound walk takes you along the banks of the Spree between the Bode Museum and the Bundespressekonferenz, via Friedrichstrasse through the government district, connected by six bridge sounds with sound fields and invisible voices, with acoustic glimpses behind the facades of a world between tourism and lobbyism that reveal another reality.
>> press reviews (german/english)
The sound walk takes you along the banks of the Spree between the Bode Museum and the Bundespressekonferenz, via Friedrichstrasse through the government district, connected by six bridge sounds with sound fields and invisible voices, with acoustic glimpses behind the facades of a world between tourism and lobbyism that reveal another reality.
>> press reviews (german/english)
Between Tourism and Lobbyism.
Permanent Sound Walk along the Spree in Berlin Mitte.
A Topographical Composition for an Urban Space by georg klein
with 14 scenes, 6 bridge sounds, 6 sounds in-between and one sound field
Total duration: 90 minutes (duration and direction at your choice / GPS guided)
