I’m planning a trip to Hawaii, maybe in early spring, and one of the things about Hawaii I really enjoy is the sound of the unique birds found only there.

Now there is a web site that documents sounds from around the world. Cities and Memory describes its site as…

…a global collaborative sound project encompassing field recording, sound art and sound mapping – remixing the world, one sound at at time. Every location on the Cities and Memory sound map features two sounds: the original field recording of that place, and a reimagined sound that presents that place and time as somewhere else, somewhere new.

Cities and Memory includes sounds from more than 70 countries. Sounds include nature, urban sounds, even the sounds of public protests.

A view of the USA sound map

You can explore sounds by category, or travel the world of sound via the Cities and Memory World Sound Map, although it is a little crude by GIS standards. Perhaps they need a volunteer to develop a Story Map.

Me? I enjoyed listening to the Spouting Horn and feral chickens on Kauai!

But no entries for Seattle. Learn how you can contribute your sounds to Cities and Memory.

Cities and Memory was started by Stuart Fowkes, a sound artist and field recordist from Oxford, UK. Read a recent interview with Stuart Fowkes on The Verge.

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