A temporary live recording from the rooftop of a house on Antwerpsesteenweg (CDA) in Brussels’ Northern Quarter, this stream listens to the sonic atmosphere of the nearby Presidential Garden—shaped by vegetation, weather, urban form, and traffic circulation both on the ground and in the air.

The private garden, situated on public land, is located within an area defined by a layered history of urbanism—from mid-20th-century office development and housing relocation to contemporary efforts focused on densification, mixed-use redevelopment, and ecological resilience. With its mature trees and dense vegetation, the garden operates as a sonic habitat that supports urban quality of life. It modulates perception and experience across the broader environment and landscape. The recorded sonic space reveals overlapping layers of urban sound—vegetation, infrastructure, architecture, and everyday use patterns.

Listening Notes

Tree Canopy Dynamics:
Birdsong marks spatial and temporal sonic thresholds, particularly audible during early morning and twilight. The movement of trees and bushes modulates sound through foliage rustle and wind interactions, creating shifting vibrational textures in the sonic field.

Infrastructural Vibrations and Mechanical Patterns:
Persistent low-frequency resonances from motorized traffic and machinery underpin the ambient urban sound space. The periodic dominance and recession of mechanical and construction sounds—especially traffic flows and ongoing building activity—shape the area’s sonic continuity and character.

Urban Social Living:
Occasional pedestrian footsteps, fragments of distant conversations, and passing emergency sirens articulate social interactions within the surrounding public spaces and nearby housing complexes.