This study examines the significance of sounds and silence in Joseph Conrad’s novella Heart of Darkness (1902). The importance of visual effects has repeatedly been analyzed and therefore, it is high time to explore the text from an auditory perspective. By comparing and contrasting Victorian city sounds to sounds in the wilderness, I show that the urban and rural worlds have a great deal in common. Furthermore, by deconstructing the seemingly stable binary opposition of sound and silence as well as that of civilization and wilderness, it becomes evident that they are related and depend on one another. This paper also examines noise and how it is used as a means of power. Moreover, it deals with Thomas Edison’s invention, the phonograph, as an implicit discursive device in the text. In conclusion, it is argued that the sonic environment is of high significance and should therefore not be ignored and readers must try to close their eyes in order to hear what is said.

The soundscape is a multi-sensory experience of an area. Previous research in the field has shown a positive correlation between designing with both audio and visual feedback for an increased perceived environmental pleasantness. With growing computer power, the possibilities of analysing audio increase the number of ways visual feedback can be adapted. However, little research has been done on the implementation of digital audio-visual computing for enhanced pleasantness of our sonic environment. This paper will therefore serve as a first step of investigating soundscapes from an audio-visual and digital perspective. A particle system was developed and tested in a user study in a static, moving and audio-reactive manner relative to a given soundscape. Quantitative analysis showed a decreased perception of negative sounds in an audio-reactive particle system, reactive to the positive sounds in the soundscape, compared to the static condition. Qualitative assessment indicated that different visual feedback shifts attention to specific sound sources, but the overall perception of the soundscape that leads to are varying. The findings in this study are useful for urban planners and designers who wish to explore soundscapes from a cross-disciplinary and multi-modal point of view. / Ljudlandskapet är en multimodal upplevelse av vår omgivning. Tidigare studier inom området har visat på en positiv korrelation mellan att designa med audiovisuella intryck och en förbättrad upplevelse av miljön omkring oss. Med konstant växande datorkraft ökar möjligheterna för att analysera ljud, och därmed möjligheterna att skapa visuellt material anpassat för den aktuella ljudmiljön. Däremot saknas forskning kring hur digitala audiovisuella medel kan implementeras för att förbättra upplevelsen av ett ljudlandskap. Den här artikel kommer därför fungera som ett första steg i att undersöka ljud i vår miljö från ett audiovisuellt och digitalt perspektiv. För att göra detta utvecklades ett partikelsystem som testades i ett statiskt, rörandes och audio reaktivt läge relativt till ett givet ljudlandskap. Kvantitativ analys visade på en minskad uppfattning av negativa ljud med ett partikelsystem audio reaktivt till de positiva ljuden i ett ljudlandskap, jämfört med ett statiskt. Kvalitativ bedömning indikerade att olika visuella intryck flyttar uppmärksamheten mot specifika ljudkällor, men den övergripande upplevelsen av ljudlandskapet är varierande. Resultaten av den här studien är användbar för stadsplanerare och designers som önskar att utforska ljudlandskap från ett tvärvetenskapligt och multimodalt perspektiv.

L’environnement sonore de la région de La Roche-Bernard en Haute-Bretagne arrive, à la fin du 19e siècle, dans une période de changements importants qui accompagne le déclin d’une société rurale traditionnelle. Une reconstitution de cet environnement disparu s’avère compliquée, partielle et subjective, compte tenu de la disparité des sources d’information disponibles. Basée principalement sur des enquêtes orales complétées par des recherches en archives, cette étude permet, plutôt que d’établir les relations exactes des sons les uns avec les autres, de réfléchir à une catégorisation qui prenne davantage en compte leur perception et leur émission, ou plus exactement leurs fonctions, usages et interprétations. Le classement qui en découle tient de surcroît compte du caractère traditionnel ou folklorique des sons retenus. Cette manière d’inventaire, qui n’est pas exhaustif, repère cependant dans un second temps les moments de rupture où un type d’environnement sonore disparaît et cède la place à un autre. Une chronologie générale établit enfin, dans la société rurale traditionnelle étudiée, les éventuels rapports entre sa disparition et l’évolution de son environnement sonore. / At the end of the 19th century, the sonic environment of the region of La Roche-Bernard in Upper Brittany was affected by a period of important modifications which accompanied the decline of traditional rural society. A reconstitution of this disappearing environment is necessarily complex, partial and subjective with regard to the disparity of the available resources. This study, principally based on oral interviews supplemented by archive research, rather than establishing the exact relationships between sounds, opens up reflection around a possible categorization which principally considers their perception and emission, or more precisely their functions, usage and interpretations. In addition, the resulting classification takes into account the folklore or traditional character of the sounds studied. This manner of inventory, which is non exhaustive, does however reveal, on closer inspection, the periods of change where one type of sonic environment gives place to another. Lastly, a general chronology establishes possible links between the disappearance and the evolution of the sonic environment in the traditional rural society studied.

Submitted by Geandra Rodrigues (geandrar@gmail.com) on 2018-09-04T12:58:08Z No. of bitstreams: 1 guilhermevallelouresbrandao.pdf: 12401220 bytes, checksum: 9bc0af060b36cbc30fae487ed61aa6cd (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Adriana Oliveira (adriana.oliveira@ufjf.edu.br) on 2018-09-04T13:24:55Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 guilhermevallelouresbrandao.pdf: 12401220 bytes, checksum: 9bc0af060b36cbc30fae487ed61aa6cd (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-09-04T13:24:55Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 guilhermevallelouresbrandao.pdf: 12401220 bytes, checksum: 9bc0af060b36cbc30fae487ed61aa6cd (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-03-28 / A ambiência acústica dos lugares é fator preponderante para o adequado desempenho laboral, intelectual ou simplesmente vivencial do ser humano. O local de vivência, se possuir fatores que potencializam a percepção da ambiência acústica, tais como ruído de tráfego, pode causar estresse fisiológico, contribuindo para uma avaliação qualitativa desfavorável do espaço urbano. O objeto de estudo desta pesquisa é o conjunto de características acústicas inerentes às linhas ferroviárias, que se materializam no espaço segundo esses preceitos e os irradiam ao entorno. A presença dessas linhas na malha urbana da cidade de Juiz de Fora – MG – influi diretamente na produção do espaço e direciona vetores de crescimento e valoração do solo, representando um importante aspecto a ser considerado nas políticas de produção da cidade. Este trabalho tem por objetivo identificar as características acústicas ao longo das linhas ferroviárias e suas especificidades, propondo alternativas para mitigação dos problemas verificados nas áreas adjacentes. O recorte desta pesquisa, que se insere no campo da acústica ambiental, se dá pela delimitação de estudo das características acústicas das linhas férreas, focando nas características sonoras das áreas habitadas lindeiras à faixa de domínio na malha urbana de Juiz de Fora. Com relação à metodologia de desenvolvimento, utiliza-se a Revisão Sistemática de Literatura – RSL – para definição do arcabouço teórico referencial e, para realização do estudo de caso, utiliza-se a metodologia proposta pelos referenciais normativos, através de medições in loco. O trabalho se desenvolve em seis capítulos que englobam os conhecimentos necessários à sua realização, focando na aplicação dos conceitos ao ambiente ferroviário. As análises realizadas demonstram que o ambiente acústico ao longo da linha ferroviária é drasticamente impactado pela passagem das composições, provocando o aumento do nível de ruído equivalente para além dos parâmetros normativos de conforto. A partir da situação existente, propõe-se a implantação de um misto de dispositivos convencionais e não convencionais para a redução do ruído, focando em soluções que mantenham permeabilidade visual e busquem reduzir a segregação espacial, gerando resultados que podem ser replicados em outras áreas urbanas, tanto na cidade de Juiz de Fora quanto em outras cidades. Conclui-se que a utilização dos dispositivos de proteção auxilia consideravelmente na redução do nível de pressão sonora equivalente nas áreas lindeiras, entretanto, percebe-se que é necessário o atendimento das edificações do entorno às normas construtivas para mitigação mais eficaz do problema. / Acoustic ambience is a predominant factor for adequate performance levels of work, intellect or simply experiential tasks for human beings. The vivency place itself, when possessing factors that enhance the acoustic ambience perception such as traffic noise can cause physiological stress, contributing to an unfavorable qualitative assessment of the urban space. This research’s object of study is the set of acoustic characteristics inherent to the railway lines, which materialize in space according to these precepts and radiate towards the surroundings. The presence of these railways in the Juiz de Fora city – MG – urban network directly influences the spatial production and directs land growth and valuation vectors, representing an important aspect to be considered in the city's production policies. This work aims to identify the acoustic characteristics along the railway lines and their specificities, proposing alternatives to mitigate problems observed its adjacent areas. The research clipping, which is inserted in the environmental acoustics’ field, is given by binding the study to the railway lines acoustic characteristics, focusing on the inhabited areas neighboring to the railway’s domain range sound characteristics in the Juiz de Fora city’s urban mesh. Regarding the development methodology, the systematic revision of literature method– RSL – is used to define the reference theoretical framework and, to carry out the case study, the methodology proposed by the current normative references is used, through on-the-spot measurements. The work develops in six chapters that encompass the knowledge necessary for its realization, focusing on the concept application to the railway environment. The analyses performed shows that the acoustic environment along the railway line is drastically impacted by the rail compositions passages, causing an increase in the equivalent noise level beyond the normative comfort parameters. From the existing situation, it is proposed to implement a mixture of conventional and non-conventional devices for noise reduction, focusing on solutions that maintain visual permeability and seek to reduce spatial segregation, generating results that can be replicated in other urban areas, both in Juiz de Fora and other cities. It is concluded that using protection devices greatly assists in reducing the equivalent sound pressure levels in the railway’s neighboring areas. However, it is understood that it is necessary for the surrounding buildings to meet the constructive norms for a more effective problem mitigation.