The Japan Institute of the Acoustic Environment
The Japan Institute of the Acoustic Environment
The acoustic environment, or soundscape, is an all-encompassing field of study deeply rooted in design practice. A soundscape is not just a collection of separate sounds; it requires a holistic understanding of the environment through our auditory experiences. This means that evaluating the sound environment through purely technical lenses, such as physical acoustics or noise control engineering, falls short.
Accordingly, our research reaches past the physical traits of sound to bridge acoustics and musicology with the humanities and social sciences, including anthropology, sociology, and history. Ultimately, this interdisciplinary approach directly shapes practical applications in art and design.
Research collaboration agreement with the EU-based institute, INCAS3.
The institute maintains international collaborations with overseas universities and research organizations.
The “AIR PRESSURE” project – a collaborative work by acoustic scientist Kozo Hiramatsu, anthropologist Rupert Cox, and artist Angus Carlyle – explored the environmental stresses (including what might be one of the worst soundscapes in the world) on a family of organic farmers living in the midst of Narita Airport.
The project expressed this soundscape in a video of about 10 minutes.
A project called "ZAWAWA," in collaboration with the University of Manchester, is currently ongoing. This artwork combines audio and video recordings collected in Okinawa over a period of approximately 10 years into a 50-minute film.
It was nominated as one of the top 26 works out of 740 submissions for the 37th Jean Rouch International Film Festival, held in Paris in November 2018.
Angus Carlyle, Rupert Cox, Kozo Hiramatsu, ZAWAWA – Listening to the Aftermaths of Conflicts in Okinawa, Archive Books, Berlin, 2025.
Zawawa began on April 21st, 2011, when acoustic scientist Kozo Hiramatsu, anthropologist Rupert Cox and artist Angus Carlyle met in Okinawa. This new project centred on the Pacific island which was devastated by the last battle of WWII, was subsequently occupied by the US for 27 years and is where a considerable pressure of military personnel, infrastructure and overflying aircraft persist today.
The book includes essays by Hiramatsu, Cox and Carlyle recounting their own sound-oriented perspectives which are in turn contextualized by Okinawa-based responses from musicologist Junko Konishi and biodiversity researcher Nicholas Friedman.
01 April 2010
Expertized advices for noise issues.