Vienna Opera House memory

May 22, 2020, 02:23 PM

Vienna lockdown sound reimagined by Tim Kahn.

"I first used maps and street views to look and see what this place was like before the lockdown. It looked busy and noisy. I was given this recording randomly, I like the constraint of working with something that I did not choose as well as it felt appropriate for this as none of us have chosen to be so constrained in this way. 

"With one exception all the sounds in my work come directly from the original recording. The one that did not originate from the recording is the "melodic" part which was added last as my touch of a mix of sadness, calmness, beauty, and hope. 

"A few sounds are entirely from the original recording, such as the ticking at the end and some traffic. Most of the other parts were derived from the original recording using Izotope RX to select various frequencies. My overall aim was to create a bit of tension and uncertainty, some destruction, but also find some awe and wonder and beauty in the stillness. I hope that comes across."

Part of the #StayHomeSounds project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of the global coronavirus lockdown around the world - for more information, see http://www.citiesandmemory.com/covid19-sounds