Parks as Neutral Grounds for Belonging Tracing Belonging Through Sound: A Sound Journey in Jardim da Estrela
- Listen
A park is a threshold, an open yet contained space where the private dissolves into the public, and the act of simply being is enough to belong. In Jardim da Estrela, sound forms an invisible architecture, shaping the way bodies move through space, how presence is felt, and how solitude is shared. More than just a backdrop, the park is an evolving soundscape, a neutral ground where belonging is woven through auditory experience. This sound map traces those fleeting intersections: the momentary synchrony of footsteps on gravel, the rustling of wind through leaves, the rise and fall of distant voices; sonic fragments that converge and disperse with each passing moment.
Unlike static landscapes, sound is in flux, sculpted by the rhythms of those who pass through. Each layer of sound marks time differently, conversations emerge and fade, birds call across canopies, a ball bounces, then rests. Even in stillness, one is immersed in the collective sonic imprint of the park, bound to others through an ever-evolving auditory field. This simple act of listening provides an experience that fosters an innate sense of community without requiring direct participation.
This work maps the acoustic life of Jardim da Estrela, not as a fixed composition but as a dynamic continuum. We invite you to take a sound walk, tracing the journey through our accompanying sound map to immerse yourself in the sonic life of the park. The accompanying visual map pinpoints seven key moments within the recording, allowing listeners to trace an invisible geography of presence and movement. In listening, one becomes part of this shared, shifting commons: not by shaping it, but by being shaped by it, attuned to the subtle ways sound weaves us into the fabric of a place.
Bibliography:
- CAL - Technical Division, J. Mera. Plan of the Estrela Promenade. Partial plan of the pipeline, sheet no. 37. EPAL-DT 2585, File No. 103. Reference Code: PT/EPAL_CDHT/AH/DT/OB/006/0083/010. Accessed Feb 24, 2025. https://www.epal.pt/X-arqWeb/Result.aspx?id=134522&type=PCD .
This work uses an edited version of the “Plan of the Estrela Promenade” under fair use for non-commercial, artistic purposes. All rights remain with EPAL.
Ingrid Bakken and Mark Waldron-Hyden
Ingrid Bakken is a visual and sound artist interested in exploring the concept of ecological sensorium, expanding the awareness of our senses to ground oneself in the reality of our reciprocal relationship with nature.
Mark Waldron-Hyden is a sound artist and composer whose work involves recontextualising naturally occurring sounds around us, to bring presence to our everyday life and bring music and nature together as one sound.