Hearing Access at McMaster
room 7 ECHOES
Our Sound Walk proposal presents the campus's common soundscapes in diverse ways. This route extends from Whidden Hall to the Health Sciences Center, focusing on environment, body, and artistry: the melodious notes of a piano intertwined with the creak of automatic doors, footsteps ascending stairs, the hum of elevators, and the whoosh of sliding doors. These sounds reveal the multifaceted ways in which different bodies on campus gain or face limitations in their freedom of movement. A second dimension—the roar of engines, screeching brakes, and announcements at the corner bus stop—links campus mobility to the broader urban pulse. These paths remind Sound Walk participants that soundscapes are not only about access rights but also weave into everyday experience.By foregrounding sound as art, the walk also demonstrates how listening practices reveal the dynamic interplay between environment and human mobility. In doing so, it aligns with course discussions about the aesthetic, bodily, and environmental dimensions of movement while grounding them in McMaster’s lived campus experience.
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The Echoes
Whidden Hall
Listen to the audio from Whidden Hall, which involves the sound of the elevator running, the sound o…
Bicycle bell rings
This area mainly consists of the sounds of students cycling and chatting.
Gym
This audio recording captures the sounds present in a gym, including the clanging of exercise equipm…
Student Centre
This area includes the background music of the cafeteria and the sound of scanning "Dingding" at the…
Mills Library
This area begins with the opening sound of the button on the first floor of Mills, followed by the s…
Bus Stop at the University of Life Science
The whistle of the bus as it enters the station and the sound of students swiping their cards to boa…
Health Science Library
This area includes the sound of the button opening the door and the voices of the students discussin…
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Other walks nearby
Project 1 Final Artistic Composition（Tongwei Hu & Jiayi Liu）
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“Step into the McMaster Student Center’s soundscape, where architecture, movement, and accessibility converge in everyday life. Listen for the hum of foot traffic, clicks of automatic doors, and overlapping conversations—each a clue to how people navigate this space. Walk carefully, be mindful of physical obstacles, and keep your device volume balanced so you don’t miss real-world cues.”
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Everyday Sounds of McMaster
Our project explores the theme of everyday mobility on campus, telling the story of a student’s day from arriving by bus to studying, eating, and heading home. Listeners move through the bus stop, library path, quiet study area, MUSC food court, and crosswalks, hearing buses, footsteps, pages turning, food preparation, cashier sounds, and traffic to experience the campus through sound.
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McMaster Campus - Dual Natures
Explore McMaster's campus, from the busiest building to the quietest outdoor corner, and everything in between. Notice to how we interact with the world around us, connect with each other and ourselves, and how these interactions change based on our surroundings.
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Study Spots at McMaster 2025
Just as students carry their classrooms with them across campus through mobile practices and technology, this sound walk will be taking you across various spaces, exposing you to different locations where extending learning beyond the traditional classroom is possible. Throughout this soundwalk, you will be discovering diverse study spots, with unique atmospheres, where students find themselves focused and productive.
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Best Part of McMaster!
This is the best part of Mac! Listen to find out why!
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Mission Briefing
Thank you for joining our cause, agent. Things on campus aren't as they seem. Follow the GPS coordinates on your phone, and listen to our instructions. Things may not make sense now, but they will in time.
(Start at the south entrance of the Student Centre)
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