Echoic object 40

"The information age has produced huge leaps in the gathering and documentation of data. Someone who has never been to Westminster Abbey no longer relies on descriptions filtered through a commentator, whose powers of observation, agenda or eloquence are beyond their control. They can see maps, photographs, plans, reviews, recordings; access a level of detail unprecedented in human history. Precise representation is incredibly valuable because from this we can draw inference, deepening our understanding. "'Echoic Object 40' is a work of sonic archaeology. It subjects our artefact to various processes and deciphers details of resonance, tone, and time so that we might better understand its attributes. Spectral granulation allows the nave to sing to us; footsteps create rhythms as they move through the arcades; an impulse response becomes a reverb.  "From the one recording we assemble a stratigraphy, context, and interpretation. Westminster Abbey is an Anglican church, so there should be bells. It is a centre of faith and a repository of history, so it is probably tranquil. Kings are buried there, regents of an empire that once held a quarter of the world in a stranglehold, so there must be ghosts. The final piece on display is the recording, lightly weathered and almost complete, returning us blinking into the daylight. "My huge thanks to Paul Virostek for the original recording." Westminster Abbey tones reimagined by Emmy Lambert. ——————— This sound is part of the Sonic Heritage project, exploring the sounds of the world’s most famous sights. Find out more and explore the whole project: https://www.citiesandmemory.com/heritage

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