Mapping Sojourners' soundscapes: Listening experiences of Taipei Soujourners in London

This PhD research aims at identifying and presenting ‘sojourners’ soundscapes. Soundscape here is understood to be an interaction between the physical environment and the listener’s perception. Taking Taipei sojourners in London as a case study, the research suggested that London soundscape and the auditory memories of Taipei are interconnected and shaped by sojourner’s listening experiences of their homeland and foreign land. Considering it as a space, and reflecting on it through sounds, a presentation of this interconnectivity is a presentation of ‘sojourners’ soundscapes.

The interconnectivity between the soundscapes of London and Taipei is explored by means of qualitative interviews with Taipei sojourners in London who are requested to nominate and record sounds of the two cities. Through the development of art practices, diverse from of artwork including an artists’ book with a CD, an Internet sound map and four sound installations were made to finalize Sonic Constellations as the artwork to present sojourners’ soundscapes. An analysis of the close interaction between sounds and maps further supports the research in proposing the concept of ‘inter-soundscapes’ as a contribution to related research fields.

Influenced as it is by the mobility of sounds and sojourners, it is important to point out that the sound map produced in this research does not end at the borderline of the London and Taipei soundscapes; it actually projects a bigger horizon. Since these London-based Taipei sojourners are destined to leave London and continue their journey, the map of sojourners’ soundscapes is continuously expanding.