Brona Martin created MOSS – Mapping Otherworldly Soundscapes, an investigation and celebration of sound and an exploration of the relations between the natural and cultural worlds of Moss, Norway.

This work is one of the shortlisted pieces for the Sound Walk September Awards 2025. 
Below, Brona discusses the piece.

Often our first introduction to a new environment is experienced through a map of some kind. This was the case for me when I was carrying out some research on Moss, a city just south of Oslo, Norway. The biennale events including concerts, talks and exhibitions were taking place in both the city and at Galleri F15. I designed my walk as a way of connecting both locations, inviting participants to walk between both sites. The main exhibition space was located at Galleri F 15 with outdoor soundart installations located in the surrounding areas and other installations located in the gallery itself.

First Explorations

In March 2025 I visited Moss for the first time and spent two full days exploring the area by walking and field recording. The organisers provided me with a google map with 3 potential routes for the walk as a rough guideline, which would take walkers from Moss city to Galleri F15. After exploring these routes to the gallery, I decided I wanted the walker to experience as many different types of landscape as possible; urban, coastal, forestry and farmland. I wanted people to experience the huge contrast between the soundscapes as I left Moss City and hiked through the forest, across farmland and along the coast. I also wanted my walk to weave in and out amongst the other outdoor soundart installations once they got to the gallery.

During this short trip there was a dense fog which refused to lift during my stay. This was the thickest fog I had ever experienced. When I got to the coastline, I couldn’t see out into the Oslo Fjord. But I could hear the sounds of the sea and the regular sounds of the Moss to Horton ferry foghorn. The foghorn could be heard from every location and can be heard on all of my field recordings. Therefore, it also weaves in and out of the ‘echoes’ connecting time and place. Sometimes it is processed into musical tonal materials almost like a brass instrument and other times it can be heard on the recording offering a sense of perspective to the listener. Apart from looking at a map, listening was the only way I could get a real sense of perspective in terms of distance and location, as sounds weaved towards me from afar and echoed all around me.

I spent 2 days field recording gathering sonic materials using DPA omni-directional microphones which have a 360° pickup pattern, hydrophones for recording underwater, geophones for recording vibrations and coil pickups for recording electro-magnetic fields. My aim was to gather as many different layers and perspectives of field-recordings as possible and create short compositions which highlighted and revealed the hidden layers of the soundscape to the listener. The compositions also present sounds which people cannot hear such as underwater and electromagnetic sounds. 

Using the Echoes Platform

I used the echoes locative audio platform for the walk. I composed all the echoes in my home studio and put them on the correct location on the Echoes map. There are 20 echoes/ listening spots along the route. Each echo is GPS triggered when the walker enters a specific spot on the map. The trigger spots for each location had to be tested before the exhibition opened to ensure that the echoes were in the correct location. Once the ‘echo’ is triggered it plays to the end as the listener continues on their journey. Participants could access the walk via a QR code which was in the exhibition programme.

The walk

The aim of the walk was to draw the listeners attention to the soundscapes around them while also highlighting aspects of the landscape and elements of cultural history. The walk is divided into four zones: Moss City, The Forest, The Coastline and Jeløy.

Zone One: Moss City and Urban Soundscapes

The walk begins in Moss city where the listener can experience urban soundscapes and sounds of the unheard. There are four stops in this zone:

1. Hotel Resonances. During my stay in March 2025, I captured the wonderful hidden sounds of my hotel room in the Moss Hotel. The electromagnetic sounds that you hear were captured using a coil pickup. You are listening to the internal electronic sounds of a variety of lights, radiators and the TV.
2.  Train Signals: Layers of signals and warnings. Train approaching! Beware! Listen to the sounds of lighting signals and the tones of the train approaching.
3. The Norwegian Lady: “I am the Norwegian Lady. I stand here, as my sister before me, to wish all men of the sea safe return home.” Voices: Brona Martin, Ida Uvaas, Morten Soøndergaard, Ailo Uvaas Eraker (11) Ann Kristin Traaen, Eileen A Roaldsvik, Jenny Sandmo Ellefsen. A choir of languages speak this otherwise unspoken phrase.
4. Keepers of the Faith:Sculpture of Keepers of the Faith of by Bruce Naigles. This ‘echo’ aims to reflect these sculptures and their mysterious smiling faces.

Zone 2: Rhythms and tones of the Forest

1. Tiny Birds in the Forest: Tiny birds in the trees chattering and nattering. As I entered the forest leaving the suburbs a tree full of small birds greeted me.
2. 3 Little Deer: Shhhhhhhh!!! Can you see any deer? I encountered many deer on my walks and spent a long time just watching them silently as they nibbled on grass roots.
3. Tittut (Peekaboo): Peekaboo – Welcome to the highest point of the walk! Enjoy the view! This view was very different in March with no visibility. When I returned in June, the sun was shining and I could see all across the fjord.
4. Forest Performance. Birds, Water droplets and Fog Horns play throughout the forest. Because of the thick fog there was the constant sound of water droplets falling from trees and hitting the leaves. The sounds were so delicate and miniscule.
5. 3 Fog Horns. 3 Fog Horns heard in the forest every 2 minutes. The forest responds where the path divides.

Zone 3 : The Oslo Fjord – Seascapes

1. Listen to the Sounds of the Sea. From this point look towards the sea. The sounds you hear are from below and above the water’s edge.
2. Shorelet on a Foggy Day. Sea Recordings from a Foggy Day.
3. Footbridge. Beware of the Trolls! Listen to the vibrations and mysterious sonic world resonating beneath the bridge.
4. Fire Pit. Stoke, Poke and Crackle! Fire crackling beside the shore.
5. Flowing. Flowing water into the sea. Layers of water sounds below and above the surface, with some delicate rain fall.
6. Have a seat! “This is a very nice rock to sit on and listen and enjoy the view!” A simple invitation.
7. Off the beaten track…. Underwater resonances and vibrations.

Zone 4 – Jeløy

1. Bredebukt. Above and Below the waves.
2. Forest Bath. Fallen Trees, Tree Sculptures and Fog Horns.
3. Deer Droplets. A lovely field where you might see some deer or lean on a stone wall.
4. The Bear. I don’t know if the bear appreciated being treated as an instrument?

Conclusion

This sound walk explores the resonant ecologies of these different environments drawing the listeners attention to both real and imaginary soundworlds. It also reflects my journey of discovery as I explored this environment and made many exciting discoveries. Alongside field recordings, voice notes were also used to capture my thoughts and discoveries along the way and these are sometimes embedded within the composition. It was a magical adventure made even more mysterious by the dense fog which blurred and concealed boundaries of the landscape. This is also reflected in the compositions which are at times haunting and contemplative.

The winner and honourable mention of the SWS Awards 2025 will be announced around the start of 2026.