April 10, 2020

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More than 1 billion people are confined to their homes across the world due to the Covid-19 pandemic. In Paris, where I currently live, the streets are quiet. The city shifted over night from one of the loudest cities in the world at an average 85 decibels to virtual silence. We can hear the birds chirping, neighbors talking softly, and kids playing outside. The intense motorcycles and ambulance sirens at 100-120 decibel are still there, and they feel louder as they pierce the clean air. It is the first time I have been aware of how sounds are affecting me so I wonder...

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How does an absence of city noise change our listening, and thus our feeling?

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How does this new quiet affect our connection to nature?

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What will happen when loud city noise returns?

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How can we protect citizens against noise pollution?

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I set out to answer these questions through a survey. I also invited friends to send me videos of their daily soundscapes in their respective city of confinement. I wanted to see where other people were living and ask them how the change in sound affected them. I put the videos into a map so anyone can experience it.

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Every person has a different relationship to sound. For some with noise sensitivity the constant noise of a city is distracting and unpleasant. In the most severe cases of misophonia the noise is painful and irritating. Not everyone loves quiet, for some the quiet makes them feel uneasy. They find the hum of a city comforting, a reminder that things are busy, moving, on schedule: a sense of security.

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However, whether we feel sensitive to the noise or not, our bodies are designed to hear it and react to it. Constant noise over time has been proven to be very unhealthy. My hypothesis is that we are more sensitive to sound than we realize in a city. After two months of city-noise deprivation, when the noise returns we will be able to feel the increase in stress such loud noice induces. This may inspire change in behavior or activism to reduce noise pollution.

 

I am also curious how the increased ability to hear bird song has affected people's relationship to nature around them. By hearing something daily, how does it change your perception and awareness? How will it affect our relationship to the world outside ourselves? How will it inspire a new understanding of what cities could and should be for their citizens?

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