Dilan Karatas

"Soundscape of home "

Section MS15, Sarah Akigbogun

Keywords: home, sound music

Home means something different to everyone. Some may call the house they grew up in home, others the space they feel most comfortable in, or some may call a place home, regardless of location. In order to define my Homescape in the context of MS15, It took me a while to realise that an image of home had not been there for me for some time.  Due to events in my past, I was living from one place to another - within Berlin. However, I had no space that belonged to me. Temporary accommodation - with family or friends - but no place I could make my own, as I wanted.    Only now, a few months after arriving in London, do I now have my own flat. I have captured this privilege and the gratitude I feel for it by recording the sounds of objects, movements and activities that many people take for granted - all from my own home.  However, since the concept of home for me does not refer to something spatial, but is also related to memories and longing for my dearest people, I have created a soundscape that communicates these different perceptions in an auditory way.  The audio files I recorded from my flat in London are thus accompanied by other sounds that reinforce the feeling of home for me.    For several years I have kept a private digital diary in which I record many of my emotions, thoughts, experiences, desires and fears on video. For MS15 I have analysed some of my videos and added the audio tracks relevant to me and the theme of 'home' to the soundscape as well.    For me, home can be anywhere where I can be myself, feel comfortable, philosophise about fears, worries, goals, where I can live out my love for my family and friends. 

These sounds of home are collected as a single recording, so I can carry them with me wherever I go. soundscape of home is displayed as a CD on a Discman player, the iconic portable sound device, along with headphones. Thus, the CD and the Discman becomes not just a distribution of the sound but a form of portable home.