Sonic Empowerment: Reframing "atmosphere" through Sonic Urban Design
(2020)
author(s): Nicola Di Croce
published in: RUUKKU - Studies in Artistic Research
“Urban atmosphere,” which concerns the intangible features that give “life” to everyday environments, provides an important means of appreciating the self-image and narratives of marginalized towns and localities. This paper posits listening critically to sonic environments as a means of exploring and reframing urban atmosphere. Listening practices with a sound art-oriented approach can empower local inhabitants and municipalities by inspiring the collaborative governance of immaterial commons. Sonic urban design, which converges sound art and planning, is presented as a tool for developing awareness of the “uniqueness” and fragility of urban atmosphere through listening activities and proposed community-based sonic guidelines. The initial outcomes of my participation as an artist in residence during the sound art festival Liminaria 2018 provides a recent example of sonic urban design in practice.
Actions of an Architect in Malta
(last edited: 2024)
author(s): Mirco Azzopardi
This exposition is in revision and its share status is: visible to all.
Thesis of the Royal Academy of Art, The Hague, 2023.
Master Interior Architecture (INSIDE)
This study solely addresses Malta, whereby it was after leaving the island that I felt a growing devotion and sense of patriotism toward what I had left behind.
In its irony, choosing to leave the country to better it, as to broaden perspectives and break from the shackles of the norm, proves challenging. However, in shaping my professional career, how could I surround myself with warranted professionals within the built environment who advocate for better while playing imperative masquerading roles in formulating the worse?
Exposed to a new Dutch environment, I was able to critically reflect on the typical Maltese streetscape, convinced that the architect can play a more significant role in pressing issues the country faces.
Although I do not relate to the systems the Maltese architectural scene operates within, it became apparent that to have a valued perspective and say within the system, one must understand it, or at the least grasp its principal values. To better understand such complexities, I formally reached out to various agencies playing essential roles within this framework today, intrigued by their contradicting principles and perspectives. The insight gained through these interviews
serves as an underpinning for arguments raised throughout the text. Therefore, it must be noted that the arguments raised address the current situation in Malta heading into the 2030s decade.