Hackney Hear

Triggering sound via GPS-location, Hackney Hear provides an innovative way to explore and rediscover London’s east end by combining immersive sounds and storytelling.

Made by the Sony-Award winning team behind the , Hackney Hear works anywhere in London Fields or Broadway Market (London, E8). After putting headphones on, users can explore the area – standing still to hear more of each story or moving on to hear something new.

The phone app can be downloaded and used on location, where users can hear the stories of residents and local celebrities, as well as sound archive and new commissions from artists in the area. The app uses “tri-sound technology” to ensure that listeners hear multiple combinations of words, music and sounds.

The iPhone app is free to download and launches March 8^th 2012, coinciding with a historic year for Hackney as it plays host to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Francesca Panetta, Founder of Hackney Hear said of the app: ‘We wanted to take listeners on an exclusive journey through this amazingly eclectic borough in east London – uncovering previously unheard stories, histories and personalities. Hackney has the highest concentration of artists in the world, and we’ve selected some of the best across different genres to create works specifically for this app’.

Hackney Hear stories include:

• Writer Iain Sinclair unravels the layers of history in his beloved local park
• Performance poet Shane Solanki  performs his ‘Lido Song’ at Hackney’s outdoor swimming pool
• Photographer Tom Hunter tells tales of the 1980s Hackney squatting scene
• Local residents tell secrets behind their neighbourhood, from first kisses to gang etiquette

For more information or to download the app go to www.hackneyhear.com.

 

Post by Sam Bonham, Communications Manager, Hackney Hear/ Hackney Podcast.