Blog Every Day in June day 25: Sound mapping the sea side

An exciting new project has been launched in the United Kingdom attempting to capture the sound of the sea side throughout the summer of 2015. The National Trust, the National Trust of Scotland, the British Library and audioBoom have established a partnership to encourage communities to record the distinct sounds through their mobile phones and other recording devices. Recordings are uploaded to the audioBoom website with the hashtag #shoresounds. At the end of the summer, the collections will be archived at the British Library. The collection of recordings will truly reflect a living, working and diverse coast line. My favourite recording so far has been a "sneezing hare" on Havergate Island!

The mix of sound recordings so far represent both human and natural activities along the coast, creating a vibrant soundscape for the listener. The experience of listening to the tapes sits somewhere between an ecologist's field recording and an aural holiday post card.

The project is the first attempt to capture the sound of the UK coastline. Similar projects have taken place over the world that attempt to map the sounds of an area, but I have not come across one with such a large area to cover. If you live, or have friends in the UK, encourage them to get involved!


You can listen to all of the entries over here

Caitlin Williams
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