Acoustics as Tangible Heritage: Re-embodying the Sensory Heritage in the Boundless Reign of Sight

Abstract

This conceptual study discusses cultural and historic sounds as tangible heritage by focusing on preservation practices for both soundscape and individual sound sources besides the acoustical fingerprints of the spaces. Although the intangible cultural heritage concept has opened a new room into the sensory objects, the formal approaches to sensory heritage are still missing and ambiguous. This study dwells on why we should classify culturally significant sensory objects as tangible heritage assets in terms of heritage, sensory semiotics, and acoustics. The digitalization methods to preserve and reconstruct acoustic heritage along with their measurable and computable nature were discussed as well.