Author: Blesser, Barry ; & Salter, Linda-Ruth
Title: Spaces Speak, Are You Listening?: Experiencing Aural Architecture
Description: Cambridge [MA], MIT Press, (2007). orig.cloth, dustwrapper.. 24x18cm, xi,437 pp. In a torn dustwrapper.. Minor rubbing. An ink mark to top page-edge. VG. ¶ This book discusses how we experience space by listening: the concepts of aural architecture, with examples ranging from Gothic cathedrals to surround sound home theater. We experience spaces not only by seeing but also by listening. We can navigate a room in the dark, and "hear" the emptiness of a house without furniture. Our experience of music in a concert hall depends on whether we sit in the front row or under the balcony. The unique acoustics of religious spaces acquire symbolic meaning.Social relationships are strongly influenced by the way that space changes sound. In "Spaces Speak, Are You Listening?", Barry Blesser and Linda-Ruth Salter examine auditory spatial awareness: experiencing space by attentive listening. Every environment has an aural architecture. The audible attributes of physical space have always contributed to the fabric of human culture, as demonstrated by prehistoric multimedia cave paintings,classical Greek open-air theaters, Gothic cathedrals, acoustic geography of French villages, modern music reproduction, and virtual spaces in home theaters. Auditory spatial awareness is a prism that reveals a culture's attitudes towards hearing and space. Some listeners can learn to "see" objects with their ears, but even without training, we can all hear spatial geometry such as an open door or low ceiling. Integrating contributions from a wide range of disciplines - including architecture, music, acoustics, evolution, anthropology, cognitive psychology, audio engineering, and many others..." - Publisher's description.

Keywords: Architectural Acoustics, Space Perception, Auditory, Sound, Psychoacoustics, , , ,