Designing sound for sustainability

Sustainability concerns have rapidly increased in recent years leaving many people feeling a mix of alarm, guilt and helplessness. While on the one hand we are pushed to take personal responsibility and change ingrained behaviours, on the other we are given little opportunity to easily grasp what is really happening in our close environment, as data and information about consumption, waste or resource savings are often difficult to understand, invisible or inaccessible.
In this talk I will discuss the relationship between sound and sustainability, and more specifically how, in my recent research projects, we approach designing sounds and sonic experiences to help us relate to sustainability concepts.
I’ll discuss participatory sound design workshop methods developed within the Sound for Energy project, as well as sonic interaction designs that utilise sound as the medium to develop a more embodied understanding of sustainability issues.