Sonic Heritage Project Maps UNESCO Sites Through Sound

The Sonic Heritage Project, launched by Cities and Memory on April 18, 2025, for the International Day for Monuments and Sites, presents an online sound map featuring 270 recordings from UNESCO World Heritage sites across 68 countries. Founded by sound artist Stuart Fowkes in 2015, Cities and Memory is one of the world's largest sound archives, with over 7,000 recordings from more than 130 countries contributed by over 2,000 collaborators. The project invites artists and musicians to record ambient sounds and create new audio pieces inspired by locations. The Sonic Heritage Project includes recordings from Machu Picchu, Taj Mahal, the Amazon rainforest, and Venice canals. Italian sites feature sounds from the Giudecca Canal in Venice, the Sistine Chapel, Piazza del Campo in Siena, Prosecco hills, and the Dolomites. Fowkes emphasizes that sound offers an immersive experience often overlooked in heritage preservation. The project also aims to raise awareness about the impact of overtourism on soundscapes. The archive is freely accessible online and includes city sound guides, thematic collections, and podcasts.