To commemorate the city’s 400th anniversary I will do a comprehensive survey of Gloucester’s sonic landscape - with a focus on its ambiences - to create an audio time capsule of its sounds in 2023. The project will culminate in an audio installation that will be open to the public and a series of audio stories and vignettes for the the community to access via common streaming platforms. Archival copies will be donated to the city.

The project will take place throughout Gloucester, recording the sounds of its beaches and outdoor spaces, as well as its shops, restaurants, industries, boats, studios, municipal buildings, and community events to create a comprehensive soundscape of the region at this moment in time.

One thing compiling such an extensive survey makes loud and clear is the ubiquity of mechanical noise pollution that coexists with the beautiful ambiences of the region. I employ digital technology to remove these sounds, and the amount of “noise” that needs to be attenuated or trimmed so the desirable ambiences can shine is often shocking. The installation will explore this tension in detail.

The raw audio files will be edited, cataloged, metadata tagged, and distilled into a variety of formats for public consumption, all of which will be accessible on common streaming platforms:

Archive
Everything collected will be cataloged and donated to the city, Cape Ann Museum, and Sawyer Library via hard drive.

Mobil App
A simple audio player app made available to the public that allows them to hear the sounds of their favorite Gloucester places anytime.

Audio Documentary Shorts
Audio pieces that highlight places, community events, and industries in Gloucester, accompanied by narration using local voice actor Eryn O’Sullivan.

Community Sample Pack
A large selection of the sounds will be compiled into a sample pack that Gloucester students, artists, musicians, and creators can utilize as a production resource.