Recollecting

"As I listen to the captured birdsongs of Machu Picchu, I wonder how the sonic landscape has changed over the course of 500+ years. Would these calls be the same birdsongs heard long before the citadel's construction, and how long until the birdsongs cease? Will they become nothing but a memory for those who have visited the site? 

"I emphasize these thoughts of sonic heritage augmenting the sound of the recorded birdsong, representing the memory of the sounds once heard and those imagined before the sound of tourists from the original recording appear to represent change. I then added the sounds of windchimes and thunderstorms recorded at my childhood home in Kentucky to connect the piece to a soundscape from my past. A soundscape that has and will continue to change throughout my lifetime. The temporal nature of sound makes the fleeting moments of day-to-day soundscapes meaningful and unique, yet over time they will change and evolve in natural and unnatural ways. How do we preserve the dense and ever-changing soundscape of an area before it becomes just a memory lost to time?"

Dawn at Machu Picchu reimagined by Andrew Ramsey.

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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