Sounds of Stare Polesie – Soundscape as a Narrative of Transformations in the Urban Space of Lodz

This chapter descends from the concept of urban auscultation described by Shannon Mattern. She draws attention to the diagnostic value of the city’s soundscape in investigating the changes taking place in the urban tissue – both physical, socio-cultural, economic and symbolic. The case study of the soundscape of Stare Polesie district is a result of a research carried out using the participatory observation method within art based research and autoethnographic orientation. During three artistic residencies in the Stare Polesie district, which represents spatial changes taking place in recent decades in Lodz, the artists tried to construct narratives and sound impressions of the identity of this territory. The collected data show the multifaceted nature of the spatial transformations of the district, provide knowledge on how the space is used, and tell the narratives by residents and city activists. Demolition of tenement houses, setting up green areas, changes in the economic activity of residents, changes in traffic organization, but also the relative stability of the architecture of the quarters – these factors shape the audiosphere of the district. Research on the soundscape of cities allows for dynamic tracking of changes in space and early signaling of potential threats to the needs of the local community. The presented results show the possible benefits of treating the audiosphere as an important component in diagnosing the condition and planning urban space.