Soundseeing

I downloaded and listened to a podcast, an online audio show, by Amy Gahran of Contentious. The podcast was the audio edition of contentious. Gahran mentions the concept of "soundseeing" -- similar to sightseeing but done with the mind, with the help of sound. Listeners not only listen to the "stories" that are being presented, but also get to hear the ambient sounds. The story and the sounds combine together to paint a far more richer picture in the minds of listeners than if they were merely reading a story.

Amy Gahran talks about her rustic cabin at the height of 9300 feet somewhere in Colorado. She describes the cosy cabin, its 100-year old stove, the snow that is thigh-deep around it, and how she gets water for the cabin from a fresh-water spring on the property. And she weaves in the ambient sounds of the cabin into the description. Listeners get to hear Amy opening and closing the door of the stove, the sound of the fire roaring in the stove, the clink of a bottle of wine, and of Amy pouring herself a glass of wine.

Amy succeeds in painting a cosy and warm picture of the cabin and give her listeners a sense of her as a person.

You can download the podcast by clicking here. Amy claims to have been inspired to take us on a soundseeing tour by two other online audio shows. You can find links to them and some more information about Amy's podcast in her post: Welcome to My Secret Refuge.

To find out more about podcasting, read What Is Podcasting and Why Should You Care? -- an excellent primer by Amy Gahran.