In Search of the Sound Rhythms of a Threatened Square in Montreal
An experiment in recording sounds in an abandoned square in central Montreal led us to examine sounds in its material aspects and audible records of urban areas. Viger Square is a run-down and empty three-block park linking the Latin Quarter and Old Montreal. Constructed on top of a major underground East-West expressway in the 1980s, it was never totally completed. It is now badly managed and maintained, and has been taken over by different groups of homeless persons. The complex dynamics of public health and social suffering fuel the square’s image as a symbol of urban failure. In September 2012, we conducted a cross section of the square, recording its soundscape (Schafer 2010 [1977]). We wanted to explore how different sensory textures associated with this space came together, and, as such, to deepen our understanding of the area as a three-dimensional and sensorially complex zone. Objectifying the audible revealed the coexistence of different soundscapes within the square and the ways in which they interacted with the immediate – but invisible – environment. The analysis of Viger Square’s soundscapes by means of Lefebvre’s rythmanalysis (1992) has shown differing material qualities. Our analysis suggests that the ethnography of sound has the potential to play a role in the course and orientation of future interventions aiming to enhance park design and use.