‘A soundwalk is any excursion whose main purpose is listening to the environment. It is exposing our ears to every sound around us no matter where we are. Let's climb out of our bubbles now, emerge from behind our screens, walls, loudspeakers and headphones and open our ears directly to the environment. Let's go for another soundwalk.’ Hildegard Westerkamp.
RHS Garden Wisley is a renowned institution with strong community connections and this soundwalk composition is a curation of sound recordings across Wisley.
The role of soundwalks and soundscapes in supporting people with dementia is a new field of research which builds on the evidence around the benefits of music for people with dementia. Soundscapes allow people to understand, function and enjoy their lives, through the development of strong associations with sounds. These sounds can function positively to create a relationship with the environment.
This soundwalk composition is designed to invoke a strong sense of place for the listener, with sounds which allow the listener to derive meaning from the soundscape. It uses the potential of curated sound to support the wellbeing of people living with dementia.
For some people with dementia visual clues can also be helpful, so there are photos for each of the soundwalks.