Intimacy in performance venues: Towards a socioecological methodology

Abstract

Intimacy can be subjectively defined as the feeling of closeness to performance. Intimacy has been widely correlated with the initial time delay gap, the delay between the direct sound and early reflections in a venue [Beranek, Concert and Opera Halls: How They Sound (Acoustical Society of America, New York, 1996)]. Contemporary research suggests that visual stimuli have considerable bearing upon intimacy perception [e.g., Cabrera and Nguyen, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 116, 2475 (2004)]. Building upon paradigms of ecological psychology, the author hypothesizes that social affordances, perceived offerings of social propinquity in a venue, will significantly enhance the auditory impression of intimacy. A socioecological approach to weigh the hypothesis is proposed wherein auditory perception is evaluated in the context of both the physical and the social environment. The methodology will employ interviews, ethnographic analyses, field studies, and laboratory tests. The research results will likely have immediate ramifications for the tools of visualization and auralization, its acoustical analogue. The study has broader ramifications for the design process, engendering the possibility of more humane design of artistic listening spaces through understanding reciprocal relationships between physical, acoustical, and social domains. [Work supported by ASA Minority Fellowship and RPI Humanities, Arts, Architecture, and Social Sciences Fellowship.]