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Preserving the soundscapes of special moments, Sonic Heirloom enables the replay of memories as a meditative experience.
More often than not, we remember moments from our past through visuals, scents, or feelings. With Sonic Heirloom, design practice Map Project and sound design studio Father aim to put the focus on another sense: hearing. The ingenious concept uses recorded audio and a thoughtfully designed player that resembles a vertical turntable to replay memories via sound. A bell’s resonance accompanies the recordings, transforming them into an immersive, relaxing and meditative experience.
Envisioned as a tool that establishes a deep connection between sound and memory, the Sonic Heirloom allows users to easily record the moments that matter. A portable puck the size of a large coin provides a practical way to capture a variety of sounds, from the songs of birds and leaves on a walk in a forest to waves crashing on a beach or a moving poem read by a loved one. Users only need to click a button to start recording and hold onto the sound of the memory forever.
Placed back in the base of the Sonic Heirloom, the puck then replays the recording. The player sits on the top right corner, resting on the rotating bell. Wrapped in leather, the player creates friction with the surface of the bell, emitting a resonating chime that accompanies the recording with a soothing sound. In this case, however, a video is worth more than a thousand words, as it shows the poetic beauty of the concept in action.
Crafted in collaboration with a traditional foundry, the bell is cast from reused tin and copper. The machined interior boasts a textured surface as well as a subtle glow, alluding to moments of reflection. Likewise, the front glass has a slightly frosted finish to reference the way memories become hazy over time. The one-of-a-kind bells have distinct tonal fingerprints, imparting both warmth and depth to each audio recording. Photography© Map Project Office, Father.
