TEXT BY LINSEY RENDELL
How often do we pause to truly listen to the sounds around us? What role do these sounds play in anchoring us to the present or evoking memories of the past?
Sonic Heirloom, a collaboration between Map Project Office and Father, reimagines our interaction with sound and memory. This speculative object captures and preserves meaningful auditory experiences, blending the tangible and the intangible. By uniting industrial and sound design, Sonic Heirloom transforms sound into a medium for treasuring and sharing our stories, inviting a deeper, more intentional engagement with the ephemeral essence of memory.
HOW WE RELATE TO SOUND
Close your eyes. What do you hear?
Rice being poured into a pot. The crack of an egg.
When did you last hear this sound?
Wind in reeds. Rain on a rooftop.
Where were you, and who were you with?
Magpies chattering. Bees enjoying summer pollen.
How were you feeling that day?
Creaking joints. Inhaling and exhaling.
Take two deep breaths now.
Imagine you’re on a jetty. Climb down the ladder. Submerge.
What does it sound like underwater?
What do you feel?
Sound has the power to connect us to our stories, with each composition transporting us back to a specific place, moment, or feeling — while simultaneously grounding us in the present. Sound also plays a role in human survival, keeping us safe by prompting faster responses than visual cues.
“One hears repeatedly that we live in a ‘visually oriented society’ even though the ear tells the eye where to look.” — Pauline Oliveros, Quantum Listening
Yet, without our focused attention, we have no conscious awareness of the majority of sounds occurring around us. Noise pollution overwhelms our senses, leading us to consciously and unconsciously tune out unwanted and distracting stimuli — from busy streets to the roar of the deafening London Underground. By tuning out, we risk disconnecting from the present moment.
What if we actively give attention to sound — both as listeners and designers? Intentional listening invites us to slow down, and truly tune in.
“Listening is paying attention to sounds, being present with them, being in communion with them. To say we listen with the ears, or the mind, might be a misconception. We listen with the whole body, our whole self.” — Rick Rubins, The Creative Act
THE SOUND OF MEMORIES
What we absorb sonically plays a role in shaping our identity, our understanding of place, and how we perceive the past. Sensory interpretation happens in the brain in close proximity to the regions that process memory and emotion. Because of this relationship, like smell, sound triggers memories — and their associated emotions and meanings.
“Sound preserves a sense of self through the continuation of memory.” — Seán Street, The Memory of Sound
We’re wired to retrieve memories that spark feelings of optimism. Sounds that prompt a smile, a rush of endorphins, or that calm our overstrung nervous systems. These sounds transport us back in time to revisit the feelings of the original moment.
Retrieving memories is important for emotional regulation. It softens the effects of stress, improves mood, and contributes to well-being — particularly memories made with others. Social memories strengthen our ability to savour positive emotions in daily life and improve individual resilience.
Throughout history, people have imbued inanimate objects with personal meaning, using them to capture and preserve cherished memories. From a simple fridge magnet to an old record collection, these seemingly mundane objects can often hold extraordinary value, especially when passed down through generations. In an age where digital memories are fleeting, heirlooms remind us of the enduring power of the physical, of the value found in a well-worn object.
What if we can create an object that harnesses the powerful connection between sound and memory, encouraging active listening and helping people preserve what truly matters?
A VISION FOR CONNECTING WITH MEMORIES THROUGH SOUND
Map Project Office and Father envision Sonic Heirloom — a dedicated object that preserves, connects, and celebrates our sonic memories.
This project encourages reflection on the profound role sound plays in capturing life’s significant moments, urging us to engage more intentionally with the soundscapes of our lives. Rather than allowing sound to passively complement the visual, Sonic Heirloom invites users to embrace sound as a primary sense for storytelling and memory.
Sonic Heirloom consists of a recording puck and a playback device featuring a resonant bell. The puck, designed for portability, allows users to effortlessly capture sonic memories in the moment. Once a memory is recorded, the puck is docked in the playback device, where it is permanently enshrined within the heirloom.
Upon playback, the bell begins to turn, emitting a physical resonance that harmonises with the recorded audio. This creates an immersive soundscape, deeply connecting the user to their memory. Over time, the bell’s resonance becomes intrinsically linked to the captured moment, adding an emotional depth to the experience.
Inspired by historical sonic tools imbued with meaning, such as bells and clocks, the Sonic Heirloom reflects these timeless forms in its materiality, interaction, and design language. Built to endure, the heirloom can be passed down through generations, inviting each new generation to connect with, reinterpret, and cherish the memories it holds.
PUCK
The puck is designed to be similar in shape and size to a coin that can be kept in a pocket and played with in the hand. Recording starts with a click, a seamless interaction between the user and the present moment.
VITRINE
The puck is locked into the vitrine, preserving the memory that it holds. The glass vitrine embodies the fragility of memories. The transparency provides a window in — the slight frost of the glass symbolising how memory, while allowing us glimpses of the past, is often distorted by time and perception.
PLAYER
Wrapped in leather, the player lightly rests on the turning bell, similar to an arm on a record player. After a number of rotations, the friction between the two components emits an immersive, resonating chime.
BELL
We worked with a traditional foundry to cast the bell. The form and the mix of reused tin and copper inform the sonic quality, with each bell carrying a distinct tonal fingerprint, much like the uniqueness of a personal memory. The inside of the bell is then machined, resulting in a bright metallic surface, prompting a sense of self-reflection.
EXPERIMENTS IN INTERDISCIPLINARY DESIGN
The partnership between Map Project Office and Father is an exploration that seeks to combine the physical and the audible, elevating sound as a tool within design to create new, enriching experiences. This project was an opportunity to test ideas and bring our disciplines together. We were curious about how we might better design products, systems, and spaces with sonic qualities centred in the process.
We hope this piece of work can enable creative partners and institutions to think about sound as a medium they can control and build into any practice.