During the nineteenth century the world has witnessed a revolution in many technologies. Audio devices were no exception: telephone, phonograph and radio raised large changes in perception, regarding specially the concepts of space and time.

Sound recording had a huge impact on the way of thinking. Until the invention of the phonograph, the experience of sound was always associated to a body or a source that produced it, in a particular place at a particular time. Field recordings replicate the world of sound, but the act of recording is much more than a mimetic moment, it is already an artistic work that involves the creative act of listening, and, of course, selecting.

So during the following weeks we’ll be traveling from the north to the south of Portugal. My aim is to unveil the artists who create meanings from the sounds of the everyday life. Different artists, different motivations. I asked them to give us their own particular statements about field recordings so we can sense a flavor of what moves them to do it.

I am calling Soundwalkers to these artists who listen actively. This term is derived from Acoustic Ecology and is also the title of my first documentary about sound, field recordings and the importance of listening.

This project is actually being reframed so it becomes a series where different topics about Sound are treated deeply.

Raquel Castro