Through examining a case study located on the site of St George’s Garrison Church in Woolwich, London, this paper explores the creative and immersive potential of spatial sound art to enrich cultural heritage practices with multimodal experiences. We present an exploratory site-responsive approach to the sonic restitution of a ruined space, focusing on the interaction of sound with spatial aspects of the site; which culminated in a site-responsive performance on Wednesday 23 April 2025. Thus we examine how sound can work in and through space, conveying multimodal and multiplicitous experiences of a heritage site. From spatial acoustic measurements to ambient field recordings, the evolving soundscape reflects the layered history of the space. Accordingly, the site-responsive performance utilises a combination of spatial playback systems – the IKO Loudspeaker (20-face loudspeaker) and a 20 loudspeaker array – to reflect and represent the various aspects of a space, allowing for a multi-perspective auditory exploration. The restitution process is thus conceptualised not as a mere re-creation but as a dynamic, sound-based reinterpretation, a spatialised narrative of place. It enhances the sensory experience of the space but also provides a tool to evoke its past and speculate on its future, offering new ways of experiencing and understanding a place in flux. This research contributes to the field of spatial audio implemented in heritage contexts by offering insights into how multi-system approaches can enhance the representation and experience of architectural spaces through a deeply immersive, multifaceted, sonic lens.
Dr. Emma Margetson is an acousmatic composer and sound artist. Her research interests include sound diffusion and spatialisation practices; site-specific works, sound walks and installations; audience development and engagement; and community music practice. She has received a wide variety of awards and special mentions for her work. She is Senior Lecturer in Music and Sound at the University of Greenwich, a Research Fellow for the AHRC project “Audiovisual Space: Recontextualising Sound-Image Media” and co-director of the Loudspeaker Orchestra Concert Series.
Dr. Nadine Schütz is a Swiss sound architect and artist based in Paris. Her work bridges art and science, interpreting the auditory environment as a dynamic creative score for spatial transformation. Drawing on bio- and psychoacoustics, music, and landscape design, she crafts site-specific sound installations that enrich everyday experiences. Her acousmatic compositions, performances, and scenographic works have been showcased in cities worldwide. A lecturer in Landscape Acoustics, she established a pioneering studio for spatialised sonic landscape simulation at ETH Zurich. She is a guest composer at IRCAM-STMS in Paris and was recently appointed as a Visiting Professor at the University of Greenwich.
Professor Andrew Knight-Hill is a composer and researcher creating works that explore the interface between music and sound practice. His works have been heard internationally in film festivals and contemporary music concerts. He recently composed music and sound design for the immersive theatrical event “Over Lunan”, which was nominated for Outstanding Cultural Event as part of the 2022 Thistle Awards for Scottish Tourism. He is Professor of Music and Sound Arts at the University of Greenwich; leader of the SOUND/IMAGE Research Centre; co-director of the Loudspeaker Orchestra Concert Series; convenor of the annual SOUND/IMAGE festival and director of the Shared Hub for Immersive Future Technologies (SHIFT).
Dr. Brona Martin is an Electroacoustic composer and sound artist from Banagher, Co. Offaly, Ireland. Her compositions explore narrative in Electroacoustic music, acoustic ecology, oral history, sound and heritage and audio spatialisation techniques. Brona is a Lecturer in Music and Sound at the University of Greenwich where she teaches on the MA in Music and Sound Design course. She is also a researcher within the SOUND/IMAGE Research Centre with activities including Research Knowledge Exchange Lead and Project Lead on The Record Shop and Black Music Project.