A portfolio on experience as the driver of acoustic measurement and site-specific composition

Founded in the sculptural practice of Richard Serra, this project presents the development of a compositional methodology that explores the intersection between sound, space, and place using experience-led acoustic measurement and spatial composition. Taking inspiration from Serra’s fervent advocation for sculpture-making in terms of mass, weight, and counterbalance, this project puts forward a case for a modern conceptualisation of phenomenological site-specificity. However, while Serra’s works, like Tilted Arc—a controversial site-specific steel arc sculpture that divided Federal Plaza, New York, in 1981—are pivotal in establishing a more mechanical approach to site-specificity, his treatment of the site beyond its physical and architectural characteristics have garnered much criticism. While this project centres on the adoption of acoustic measurement as a compositional tool, it has also been critical to develop a compositional methodology that is more attentive and conscientious of the broader contexts of a given site. To achieve such, this project also incorporates the more mindful practices of Pauline Oliveros and Hildegard Westerkamp. This commentary, accordingly, traces the progression from a site-specific compositional model that is heavily inspired by Serra’s sculptural practice towards a more holistic methodology that recognises the authors framing of and involvement with the site. Simultaneously, this document also presents the development of novel adaptations of standard acoustic measurement techniques and subsequent analyses of the impulse response that are complementary to and propel attentive site-engagements.