The Centrality of sound in the creation of modern American Architecture.
Thompson researches and speaks about the importance of sound. According to Thompson, sound is a fundamental feature in the construction of modern American architecture. Thompson, in her research, looks at the period between 1900-1932.
This year is interesting for several reasons. It saw the Great war (1914-1918) and the boom of the the1920s that flowed the war years and eventually cumulated in the great depression (1929-1930). The 1920s were years of vigorous economic activity in America. From the construction of the modern sub-urbs due to the explosion in car ownership to the rapid availability of electricity and entertainment such as cinemas all saw explosive growth n the 1920s. This is why Thompson refers to this period as the Machine age.
According to Thompson, during the machine age, more and more sound was produced through technological mediation. The sound that was created as a result of cars, trains and electronic equipment such as radios created new noise that was chaotic. The scientist wanted to control this sound and bring some order to the Chaos.
To bring Chaos under control and bring some sort of tranquillity to the city the help of Acoustic was sought. Acoustic achieved this objective by creating structures that could control sound. Cinemas were examples of one building that controlled sound for the sake of entertainment.
The modern buildings controlled sound by keeping unwanted sound out. Buildings like the cinema and the symphony house created a form of artificial silence. This silence was then filled with more sound, which according to Thompson, was called modern sound. This sound was clear, unlike the hustle and bustle of the street, plus since the people themselves were creating it showed the people had mastered the art of controlling sound.
Next time when you are in downtown Toronto or another mega-city centre, just imagine how different the infrastructure would have looked had it not been for sound.
Hey Ahmad, this is a really thought provoking post. In the past I've been interested in how technology itself has shaped our cities (usually in relation to smart cities) but I've never considered sound itself as one of those reasons. The movie theater is an interesting example because even though it is so easy to just watch that same movie at home (and for free), many still go to the theatre for the experience. Usually the 'big screen' is the aspect people tend to discuss when it comes to the theater, but I think the enclosed sound space might play a bigger role. When I watch a movie at home, I still hear the creeks of my apartment and the sirens outside since I live so close to the fire department. When I watch something at a theater, my attention is much more focused.
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