Turning a Deaf Ear: Acoustic Value in the Assessment of Heritage Landscapes

Aesthetic value is one of the fundamental criteria used to determine the cultural heritage significance of important places. In Australia, however, cultural heritage has had only a limited engagement with theories on aesthetics, and as a result, no practical methodology has been developed to identif...

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Main Author: O'Connor, Penelope
Format: Journal Article
Published: Routlegde 2011
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/37682
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author O'Connor, Penelope
author_facet O'Connor, Penelope
author_sort O'Connor, Penelope
building Curtin Institutional Repository
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description Aesthetic value is one of the fundamental criteria used to determine the cultural heritage significance of important places. In Australia, however, cultural heritage has had only a limited engagement with theories on aesthetics, and as a result, no practical methodology has been developed to identify, describe and assess the acoustic dimension of aesthetic value. This paper critiques the literature on aesthetics that cultural heritage has focused on to date, highlighting its emphasis on the visual qualities of place over other multi-sensory understandings. Recent research into acoustics, particularly based on the concept of the soundscape, is explored in order to develop a qualitative methodology to assist heritage practitioners and others in understanding, describing and evaluating the acoustics of place. The applicability of this approach is demonstrated through the analysis of two cultural landscapes in the south-west of Western Australia.
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spelling curtin-20.500.11937-376822017-09-13T14:26:50Z Turning a Deaf Ear: Acoustic Value in the Assessment of Heritage Landscapes O'Connor, Penelope Aesthetic value is one of the fundamental criteria used to determine the cultural heritage significance of important places. In Australia, however, cultural heritage has had only a limited engagement with theories on aesthetics, and as a result, no practical methodology has been developed to identify, describe and assess the acoustic dimension of aesthetic value. This paper critiques the literature on aesthetics that cultural heritage has focused on to date, highlighting its emphasis on the visual qualities of place over other multi-sensory understandings. Recent research into acoustics, particularly based on the concept of the soundscape, is explored in order to develop a qualitative methodology to assist heritage practitioners and others in understanding, describing and evaluating the acoustics of place. The applicability of this approach is demonstrated through the analysis of two cultural landscapes in the south-west of Western Australia. 2011 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/37682 10.1080/01426397.2011.564729 Routlegde restricted
spellingShingle O'Connor, Penelope
Turning a Deaf Ear: Acoustic Value in the Assessment of Heritage Landscapes
title Turning a Deaf Ear: Acoustic Value in the Assessment of Heritage Landscapes
title_full Turning a Deaf Ear: Acoustic Value in the Assessment of Heritage Landscapes
title_fullStr Turning a Deaf Ear: Acoustic Value in the Assessment of Heritage Landscapes
title_full_unstemmed Turning a Deaf Ear: Acoustic Value in the Assessment of Heritage Landscapes
title_short Turning a Deaf Ear: Acoustic Value in the Assessment of Heritage Landscapes
title_sort turning a deaf ear: acoustic value in the assessment of heritage landscapes
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/37682