Sacred Spaces examines the crucial role sound has played in our spiritual and religious lives for thousands of years, and explores the sonic similarities between different religions, and different types of sacred space from across the world.
Click on a sound listen to its sounds – click on the ‘information’ button while listening to a sound to read about how it was produced and the creative context and ideas behind it. Scroll through the different pages to hear different types of sounds, from churches, temples and cathedrals to prayers, organs, music and songs.
Explore the project
Explore the world of sounds on our Sacred Spaces sound map
Background and context
Sacred Spaces examines the role that sound has played in our spiritual and religious lives for thousands of years, and look at some of the similarities and differences between how sound is used for prayer and worship across religions and from country to country.
We invited contributors to provide field recordings of sacred spaces in November and December 2016, and shared those sounds with musicians, sound designers and sound artists, who have reimagined and recontexualised the sounds of our spiritual lives.
The project is the biggest Cities and Memory project so far, with 123 artists and field recordists from around the world presenting sounds from 34 countries.
Thanks go to the Churches Conservation Trust, who provided us with access to many of their churches across England as part of the project, collecting organ and bell sounds from some of the country’s beautiful restored and protected churches.
Sacred Spaces: full playlist of sounds
Contributing artists
More than 100 sound designers, musicians and sound artists have contributed to the project, whether by reimagining a sound, providing a field recording from a sacred space, or both. Contributors come from all around the world – from Australia and the USA to India and Lebanon via Portugal, France, Spain, the UK and many other countries.
There is more information about them on our contributors page, but here’s a full list.
Field recordings provided by:
- Aidan Deery
- AJ Born
- Alex Hegyesi
- Benjamin Gale
- Benjamin Richards
- Chinowski Garachana
- Chloe Despax
- Christine Renaudat
- Cities and Memory
- Constantine Katsiris
- David Korsten
- Emmanuel Mieville
- Eric Boivin
- Ethan Jones
- Fabian Avila Elizalde
- James Kent
- Kamen Nedev
- Kate Laity
- Kostas Loukovikas
- Larva Peruzzotti
- Leon Muraglia
- Leslie Rollins
- M. Qaro
- Manuel Guerrero
- Maria Papadomanolaki
- Maria Ponce
- Martin Smith
- Melissa Pons
- Michael Gatonska
- Mode Analogue
- Nick St. George
- Oliver Hall
- Patrick Franke
- Pawel Gozdziewicz
- Piotr Jaroszynski
- Protyasha Pandey
- Robert Knight
- Simon Proffitt
- Simon Serc
- Sound Ark
- Stephane Marin
- Stephen Shiell
- Stuart Bowditch
- Tariq Emam
- Tolga Balci
- Tony Whitehead
- Veronica Salinas
- Wolfgang Dorninger
Reimagined sounds created by:
- Aaron Rieger
- Adam Frick
- Aengus Friel
- Aimee Chapman
- AJ Born
- Alan Bleay
- Alessandro Mimetik
- Alex Hegyesi
- Alex Hehir
- Alex McHattie
- Alexander Baker
- Andrea Chang
- Andy Billington
- Andy Lyon
- Angel Muniz
- Anthony Lyons
- Antonia Bustamente
- Antriksh Bali
- Barney Spigel
- Bill McKenna
- Chris Astoria Sound
- Cities and Memory
- Dan Pope
- Dana Papachristou
- David Webb
- Eden Grey
- Ellen Southern
- Eric Boivin
- Hazal Elif Yalvac
- Ian Dean
- Ian Haygreen
- Ian Pearce
- Isaac Strader
- James Kent
- Jamie Lawson
- Jase Warner
- Jean-Philippe Drecourt
- Jeff Dungfelder
- John Wiggins
- Kamen Nedev
- Kim Rueger
- Lambros Taklis
- Leonardo Rosado
- Leslie Rollins
- Luis Antero
- Manuel Guerrero
- Mark Taylor
- Mark Williamson
- Marshall McGee
- Matt Harding
- Mike Pursley
- Morgan Davies
- Museleon
- Nacho Roman
- Nick St. George
- Nicolas Vermeulin
- Nimmi Naidoo
- Oliver Smith
- Paolo Zuniga
- Paul Verschooten
- Peter Annear
- Peter Nagle
- Philippe Neau
- Radio Hummingbird
- Richard Fair
- Richard Watts
- Rob Knight
- Robin Parmar
- Samuel Turner
- Sara Gold
- Scott Lawlor
- Sequencial
- Sian Gledhill
- Simon Le Boggit
- Sofia Botero
- Stanislav Nikolov
- Stefana Fratila
- Stephanie Merchak
- Stuart Bowditch
- Tariq Emam
- Terry French
- Tim Lafontaine
- Tim Waterfield
- Tom Thompson
- Valmor Pedretti Jr
- Warren Daly