Sound as Cultural Memory: Participatory Immersive Audio Production for the Witness Blanket VR Environment

McNally K, Newman C. Sound as Cultural Memory: Participatory Immersive Audio Production for the Witness Blanket VR Environment. In: AVARIG 2026: Audio for Virtual and Augmented Reality and Immersive Games. Audio Engineering Society; 2026. Paper 472. Available from: https://aes.org/publications/elibrary-page/?id=23365

@inproceedings{McNally2026_23365,
  author = {McNally, Kirk and Newman, Carey},
  title = {{Sound as Cultural Memory: Participatory Immersive Audio Production for the Witness Blanket VR Environment}},
  booktitle = {AVARIG 2026: Audio for Virtual and Augmented Reality and Immersive Games},
  note = {Paper 472},
  year = {2026},
  month = jun,
  publisher = {Audio Engineering Society},
  url = {https://aes.org/publications/elibrary-page/?id=23365}
}

TY  - CPAPER
TI  - Sound as Cultural Memory: Participatory Immersive Audio Production for the Witness Blanket VR Environment
AU  - McNally, Kirk
AU  - Newman, Carey
T2  - AVARIG 2026: Audio for Virtual and Augmented Reality and Immersive Games
M1  - Paper 472
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/06/30
UR  - https://aes.org/publications/elibrary-page/?id=23365
PB  - Audio Engineering Society
LA  - en
AB  - This paper presents a case study of the Witness Blanket VR project, examining how immersive audio production workflows can support Indigenous-led safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage within virtual environments. Motivated by UNESCOs resolution on the importance of sound, the project applies Indigenous epistemologies of listening to investigate how spatial audio can communicate cultural, behavioural, and relational dimensions of sound for diverse audiences. The VR adaptation of Carey Newmans Witness Blanket incorporates Ambisonic recordings of natural environments, Indigenous cultural sounds, and community-contributed materials, rendered and spatialized in relation to virtual objects. The paper details the participatory process through which sound assets were gathered and outlines production decisions shaped by Indigenous cultural protocols. User experiences from three community-engaged events inform an interpretive analysis of listening with, emphasizing ethical, relational modes of auditory attention. Findings demonstrate how VR can function as a community-oriented space for cultural memory and immersive, protocol-informed listening.
ER  -