Sounding out the noise and energy of life we take for granted

In the Hillsborough Barracks shopping arcade a passerby held out his mobile phone and recorded the background noise of people going about their daily business.

The audio, along with 100 or so other recordings from the city, has now been uploaded on to a website designed by the British Library and with the trial in Sheffield proving such a success, it is now attempting to produce a sound map of the whole of the UK.

By the end of summer next year, it is hoped the project will have amassed more than 10,000 recordings ranging from the sound of inner-city bus stations to birds tweeting in the countryside.

Many will be accompanied by narration filling in the details of the place and describing how an area has changed over the years.

"Imagine if you could listen back now to what an ordinary day on a busy street in York sounded like 150 years ago," says Richard Ranft, head of the British Library's sound archive. "In recent years, new technology has made it easier than ever for people to record what's going on in their surroundings and it seems a prime opportunity to gather as much data as we can.

"We're looking for recordings from all different parts of the country, at different times of the day and year. We're not looking for staged performances, just the background noise that most of us aren't even aware is there. Some of the recordings will be noisy, some will be tranquil, but all will provide a unique record of the UK's soundscape."

The audio from Hillsborough Barracks has already been joined by recordings from inside a Starbucks coffee shop and the sound of a stridulating warbler and the British Library hopes the online map will eventually be of interest not just to members of the public who take part in the scheme, but town planners and architects.

"Britain's sonic environment is ever changing," adds Richard. "Urbanisation, transport developments, climate change and even everyday lifestyles all affect our built and natural soundscapes. The sounds around us have an impact on our well-being. Some sounds have a positive or calming influence. Others can be intrusive and disturbing or even affect our health.

"There was some interesting research carried out in America which placed a stooge with a bandaged arm on a quiet street. They dropped some of their possessions on the pavement and the researchers waited to

see whether passersby would stop to help.

"In the first scenario people were more than willing to play the Good Samaritan, but when audio of a noisy street was piped in it had a really noticeable effect. Suddenly, people walked past without giving the man in need a second glance.

"Town planners and architects are increasingly aware of how sound contributes to the environment and our hope is that once the audio map is complete they will have an even clearer picture of the public's likes and dislikes."

If the project is a success, the British Library has plans to create another audio map of British dialects, which will allow linguists to chart how accents change and adapt over the years. However, for the moment it's focusing its efforts on the country's church bells, motorways, villages ftes and canal networks.

Iain Broome, was one of the early contributors to the Sheffield pilot study, recording a variety of audio close to his home in the city. And after listening back to the sounds by Hunter's Bar roundabout, Castleton market square and the foyer of the Crucible theatre, he was quickly convinced of the merits of the scheme.

"It's easy to assume that everything's going to sound the same," he says. "But it really doesn't and that's one of the benefits of doing something like this. It's like a snapshot in time, capturing a moment and it really brings the subconscious experience to the fore. It shows this is your culture, your surroundings."

For more information about the UK SoundMap visit http://sounds.bl.uk/uksoundmap