Get to know Madrid through its sounds

David Viera

The students, guided by the teacher and researcher Manuel Sánchez Cid, have carried out this activity seeking to delve deeper and make known aspects of our social environment, to define the sociocultural characteristics and the urban and natural environment of some populations in Madrid. The teacher's instructions were simple: choose a town with a population of less than 2.500 people, and with this make recordings, photos, videos and guides about the town.

These students belong to the Audiovisual Communication degree, who are studying the second year of their degree. This project consisted of choosing a town in Madrid with the aforementioned requirements, and creating an audio guide and a soundscape, searching for the 15 points of interest that each group considered relevant. These contents are present in izi.travel, where You can find the towns of Pelayos de la Presa, Buitrago de Lozoya, Chapinería, Titulcia, Batres, Valdelaguna, Aldea del Fresno and Patones.

“The idea is to put into practice the technological knowledge acquired in the subject and demonstrate that communicative technology is a most useful instrument for the transmission and expression of knowledge,” says Professor Sánchez Cid, explaining that “the soundscape is an unknown concept.” which, on the other hand, shows a sound reality of an environment, already natural, of a neighborhood or city.”

"As a teacher, I can certify that the exercises carried out have been of interest to both parties: both for the creators of the content and for the recipients of the same," highlights Manuel Sánchez Cid, who affirms that this project fulfills a social function, such as disseminating the values ​​of the surroundings of towns that, having fewer structures and infrastructures, continue to hold wonders. “The inhabitants of the town appreciate this type of initiatives, even in some of the works the mayor himself has accompanied the students to indicate and help them,” adds the teacher.