Cultural soundscape as intangible or tangible cultural heritage

Abstract

Soundscape is a collection of sounds that individuals feel and understand in the context of a built environment. The soundscape is often associated with audial comfort in urban spaces. Nevertheless, soundscape investigation in historical areas requires different parameters. Sound is comprehended not only from the sound object and the sound wave per se but also from its meaning and identity representation of the cultural heritage area. Therefore, this paper examines soundscape studies in historic areas to explain cultural soundscapes as tangible or intangible cultural heritage. The author interprets the findings from the cultural soundscape research group to become a theoretical and conceptual explanation of the existing phenomenon. Based on observations in urban kampungs in Yogyakarta-Indonesia, namely Musikanan, Sayidan, and Pujokusuman, a cultural soundscape exists as a collection of sounds with a significant identity, meaning and spatial forming values which show the cultural image of a location. This preliminary study also demonstrates the significance of the soundscape in evaluating the intangible elements of urban place experience. The conception of a cultural soundscape is advantageous in providing research directions for intangible cultural heritage in Indonesia. Keywords: cultural soundscape, historic areas, intangible/tangible cultural heritage, urban kampung, Yogyakarta