Sonic Affordances of a Sacred Spring. The Urban Courtyard as a Figure of Rehabilitation of the Medina
(2020)
author(s): Noha Gamal Saïd
published in: Journal of Sonic Studies
This article investigates, from an in situ sonic experience, the rehabilitation project of the Source Bleue in Tiznit, Morocco, realized in 2015 by the architect and anthropologist Salima Naji. As the new architecture has favored the acoustic aspect of the spring, I reflect on the sonic affordances of the rehabilitated space.
The study hinges on three concepts – affordances, thresholds, and ambiances – in order to analyze a double focus on sounds: field recordings (fixed points and short journeys) and a text that basically represents the author’s feelings, reinforced through short interviews conducted with users of the space. By using these methods, it is possible to determine the particularities of this soundscape and to comprehend the sonic affordances of the Source Bleue.
