In Search of Peace – is my working title for the sound studies and aural cultures assessment, that will take place in the form of an audio paper. My paper will investigate the relationship between sound and calmness, in the context of a modern cosmopolitan society. I will focus in the DIY sound practices instead of the collectives or industries.

Abstract: Due to the increase of stress and chaos inside big cities, the individual is constantly searching for sources of calmness and peace. Sound has always played an important role on the ecology of a place and it’s a key element in determining what moods can a place cause. Different sound practices have been created with the purpose of using sound as a relaxing medium. Artists such as Pauline Oliveros and Brian Eno have explored such mediums in their works, it can be seen across Eno’s ambient music and Oliveros Deep Listening texts. I’m interested in the non artistic and non commercial sound practices that seek the state of calmness. Practices that common people create unconsciously and unintentionally, that are independent from any canon or medium. These practices can include walks in the park or group meditations, anything that is independently created. I will interview these sound practitioners, discovering their approach to sound and their methodology behind their practices.

My objective is to create an ethnographic paper, where I don’t discuss any argument and don’t come up with any conclusions, but instead present my findings and observations as close as possible to the nature of the phenomena.