Sonic Cartographies

BACKGROUND This work challenges the idea of maps and memorials as static objects and encourages a highly interactive and reflective engagement with sites of cultural and historical significance. The work draws on Paulsen's (2000) concept of 'place-making' - defined as the process in which humans transform physical spaces into socially relevant and meaningful places. This concept has been well-documented in studies on body-technology relations (Richardson & Wilken 2012), news-making and locality (Goggin et al 2015), and media literacy (Ito et al 2009). Kitchin, Perkins and Dodge (2009) have similarly explored the rising interest in digital maps not as 'objects' in place-making but as 'practices' where sharing, social and task-oriented processes dominate. CONTRIBUTION Sonic Cartographies is a curated series of oral and video recordings created to digitally layer the physical landscape with playful and complex oral/aural networks of local knowledge and authority. The work sought to examine the impact of community co-design and practices of sharing stories across a range of place-making activities. Using digital storytelling and interactive maps as research methods embedded in the medium, the work expressed the new and emerging relationships between digital media artists, practices of narration and community co-design as a basis of participatory place-making and translation. SIGNIFICANCE The work holds important implications for a more critical co-design engagement with local communities as technologies continue to evolve and become less 'place-based' and more content-driven and universal. Funded by Creative Victoria, the work was presented at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI) during Melbourne International Games Week (22-29 Oct), an event that has annually attracted more than 60,000 visitors.