Sound is everywhere and plays a crucial role in the experience and perception of public space. Nevertheless, in the reflection about that space and its organization, the visual image usually takes centre stage. Over recent years, however, there seems to have been a sensitization to the auditory aspects of daily life and the public domain. In the visual arts in particular, but also in architecture and landscape architecture, people are studying the potential of sound as an element that can lend meaning in relation to social or spatial surroundings. The medium of radio seems to be undergoing a cultural revival, and research into image-sound relationships has become an important subject within the field of 'cultural studies'. What is the role of sound and the sense of hearing in the public domain? An investigation of the topicality and the effects of sound, from the perspectives of cultural philosophy, art theory and media theory, could provide fresh insights into the current conditions of the public domain.

Sound is everywhere and plays a crucial role in the experience and perception of public space. Nevertheless, in the reflection about that space and its organization, the visual image usually takes centre stage. Over recent years, however, there seems to have been a sensitization to the auditory aspects of daily life and the public domain. In the visual arts in particular, but also in architecture and landscape architecture, people are studying the potential of sound as an element that can lend meaning in relation to social or spatial surroundings. The medium of radio seems to be undergoing a cultural revival, and research into image-sound relationships has become an important subject within the field of 'cultural studies'. What is the role of sound and the sense of hearing in the public domain? An investigation of the topicality and the effects of sound, from the perspectives of cultural philosophy, art theory and media theory, could provide fresh insights into the current conditions of the public domain.