Sounds of Aulus

Sounds from Aulus began as a question: what does it mean to truly hear a place? The project grew from a collection of field recordings made in Aulus-les-Bains during an artist residency at campfr.com in 2024. Sounds of water rushing through thermal channels, bells from the village church, the creak of wooden shutters in the afternoon wind.

The resulting web experience is part documentary, part soundscape. Visitors move through four sonic chapters, each anchored to a specific location in the town, layering recorded audio with photography, brief text, and ambient music composed from the source recordings.

• 01
  Sources Thermales d'Aulus: Thermal Springs The constant rush of sulfurous water that gives the village its identity. THis was recorded at dawn before the visitors arrive.
• 02
  Camp Residence Echoes of conversation, footsteps on old wooden steps.
• 03
  The Small Caves Wind through pine, distant cowbells, the hush of altitude. A 20-minute walk above the rooftops.
• 04
  Église Saint-Vincent: Village Church Organ rehearsal heard through stone walls, the resonance of a small Romanesque nave.

Recording was done with a portable Zoom H5, electromagnetic field (EMF) mic, and contact mics. Each locations track uses only sounds recorded in that specific location, processed minimally to preserve texture.

The interface was designed to be explored: no visible playback controls until a location is clicked. Even the colours and branding was chosen to evoke a sense of playful wonder.

This was the project that clarified how I think about medium and content. I came away with a clearer sense of how to design to create a specific experience.

A future iteration would include a full accessibility pass with audio-described transcripts for each audio, and a visual waveform alternative for deaf or hard-of-hearing visitors who want to experience the project differently.