ook. We recorded on the beach with no one around. Listen to episode 244 for the sound of gentle waves on the rocks.”
Three good things: linking people and place via sound
3) ‘The Sound of Tranquility’
In 2024, BBC Radio 3 broadcast a series called The Sound of Tranquility. Presented by sound recordist Chris Watson, it explored how nature can help our wellbeing. The first episode took listeners to the remote rocky island of Rona, off the coast of the Scottish Highlands, where Watson recorded the calls of seabirds, the rush of waves and the centuries-old sound of a foghorn.
4) Preserving quiet spaces in the US
The US National Parks Service has launched an initiative to preserve natural quiet in parks. Sounds such as bird song and the wind rustling through trees are recognised as important to people’s experience of being in nature. There are now ‘quiet zones’ in parks, where visitors are asked not to use mobile phones, and rangers lead silent walks.
