We were commissioned by Elbow productions to create two soundscapes for the iconic Shard and its visitor experience in London.

For the lobby area on Level 33, where visitors change lifts on their way up to the viewing deck, we created a soundscape assembled from London sounds and layered with recordings of poetry extracts, song lyrics and famous London sayings, read in multiple languages, which meshed with a subtle musical piece (by composer David Mitcham) The readers whispered their words, which were also shown graphically on the walls and floor, so the ghost-like voices envelop and immerse the visitor from all corners.

On reaching the viewing deck on Level 72, the breath taking 360-degree view of London is revealed. The vista is accompanied by a swelling and angelic sounding London Symphony Orchestra and choir, building on the musical theme established on Level 33. Bubbling beneath this was an 18-minute looping soundscape of sounds we specially recorded around London, from noises you hear at ground level, right up to the sky; a mix of urban, suburban and rural.

 

From pubs, cafes and sports stadiums (including recordings we made inside the main stadium of the 2012 Olympics) to London’s variety of very recognisable modes of transport. The idea was to amplify the sounds of the city in front of the visitor. Being a semi-open platform, the soundscape and music mingled with the distant city sounds below, to create a layered experience.

Over two freezing winter nights, we installed and mixed both soundscapes, with each playing back over multi-speaker setups.