Foreword

SONIC ROOM is an infrastructural framework for sound experience, operating as a network of curated sonic libraries distributed across diverse institutional, public and commercial environments. Each installation transforms any physical space into a dedicated listening environment — an acoustically treated room equipped with high-fidelity speaker systems and atmospheric light settings, where visitors can access an extensive archive of sonic works spanning music, frequencies, compositions, field recordings, and sound art from diverse ethnic, cultural, and geographic sources. The project reconceives the public library model for the medium of sound. Where libraries provide structured access to written knowledge, SONIC ROOM provides structured access to sonic works as a permanent exhibition space where sound becomes the primary cultural material. The room functions as a site of withdrawal: a deliberately screen-free environment where attention can reconstitute itself through the act of deep listening. SONIC ROOM addresses a fundamental asymmetry in contemporary culture: while high-quality sonic works exist in extraordinary abundance, the conditions for experiencing them remain radically scarce.