Binaural Sound Walk — Shepherdstown, WV

Site-Responsive Audio Work (in progress)

Project Description

This ongoing project is a binaural sound walk developed in and around the historic town of Shepherdstown, West Virginia. Intended to be experienced while walking through specific locations, the work layers composed sound, environmental audio, and subtle narrative elements to create an immersive listening experience that unfolds through movement and place.

Binaural sound is a recording and playback technique that uses two microphones positioned to mimic human hearing, allowing sound to be perceived in three dimensions when listened to through headphones. When experienced while walking, this approach can blur the boundary between recorded and real sound, heightening awareness of spatial detail, proximity, and environment.

The project treats Shepherdstown as both subject and setting, using sound to reframe familiar streets and landscapes without functioning as a guided tour. Rather than offering explicit instruction, the work invites listeners to move at their own pace, encountering shifts in perspective through listening and attention.

Currently a personal audio art experiment, the project is in an early exploratory phase focused on field recording, binaural composition, and site testing. Future iterations may explore public access models—such as location-based QR codes—but no public release or formal partnership has been established. The work is being developed with the long-term possibility of a public presentation in mind.