Edinburgh’s Festive Soundscape in 1633: Acoustic S(t)imulations

Through an analysis of the digital reconstruction of the festive soundscape of Edinburgh (Scotland), location of King Charles I’s entry in 1633, this paper argues that sound facilitates site-specific cultural expression, engagement with built heritage, and the (re)construction of individual and collective spatial memory. The research project upon which this paper is based explored the role of acoustics in collective spatial rituals, and in creating a participatory experience during the 1633 civic spectacle, through rendered 3D simulations of what audience members heard – rather than the much overrated ‘saw’ – at key locations. It did so by cross-referencing documentary and evidence-based information, on the chosen locations’ acoustic characteristics (evidence-driven hypotheses on layouts, materiality, and aural responsiveness), and on the spectacle’s auditory elements as perceived from the position of ordinary, stationary participants. The different phases of this original project will be critically presented: from the practical experience of recording modern spaces’ aural responses; to working with sound heritage technicians to create an historical digital soundscape where the aural presence of lost buildings and altered facades could be ‘inserted’ and ‘heard’; to the challenge of finding appropriate instruments, music, and voice actors. Finally, this paper will present a selection of actual sound reconstructions of the 1633 event for discussion, commenting upon the challenges of devising and working with them not just as representational choice, but as methodological instruments in their own right. Testing the resulting historical acoustic landscape in different conditions, showed how Edinburgh’s urban setting’s acoustic response contributed significantly to the construction of meaning – framing, enhancing, or constraining sounds. A discussion of the preliminary results reveals that engagement with historical acoustic landscapes gives both historical and modern listeners the opportunity to immerse themselves sensorially in the community’s lived experience, actively co-constructing acoustically layered cultural narratives following acoustic s(t)imulations.