Sounding Publics is an interactive installation that uses sound as a means to investigate intangible aspects of public space and the role of creative interventions in producing temporary publics.

In this work, decommissioned WWII gun emplacements at Fort Takapuna have been reinterpreted as ‘acoustic devices’ that will become repositories for a continually evolving soundscape. As the installation’s technological system is activated by movement, it begins to record ambient sounds within the gun forts and layer them into an amplified looping composition. As new recordings are added, the work begins to regenerate itself—pushing out the older sounds. By the end of the week-long duration of the project, the installation will have become an ever-accumulating archive of interactions with the people and things that come into contact with it.

Please be aware this project includes live recording. Sounds made by visitors to the installation will be incorporated into the soundscape. This project is a part of Sarah Burrell’s wider PhD investigation titled Participatory Dialogues with(in) Public Space. For a full research ethics statement click here.