soundwalk

Soundwalk is a practice in which participants walk through an environment with heightened attention to sound, often at a slow pace, to study, experience, or create with the acoustic environment. The term is associated with the field of acoustic ecology and was popularized by Canadian composer R. Murray Schafer, who introduced concepts such as the soundscape and active listening. Soundwalks can be informal personal explorations or organized events, sometimes as part of art projects, education, or research. The method emphasizes listening to ambient sounds, sources, textures, rhythms, and changes over time, and may involve recording, note taking, or verbal or silent reflection.

Practices vary widely. Some walks are guided by prompts or themes (for example, focusing on traffic, birds, water, or echoes within architecture); others are self-directed. They can take place outdoors, indoors, at day or night. Equipment ranges from nothing to portable recorders or smartphones; many walks encourage minimal capture to improve listening. The aim is not only to document sounds but to understand how soundscapes relate to place, social activity, and environmental quality, and to cultivate awareness of noise and sonic design.

In academic and artistic contexts, soundwalking informs urban planning, environmental studies, and participatory art. It is used as a pedagogical tool in education and as a method for community engagement, enabling participants to describe and critique their sonic surroundings and to explore how sound contributes to memory, identity, and place.