PHOENIX See III – Soundscape close to the Reed

About the sound

For more than 160 years Hörde in the suburbs of Dortmund has been a site for iron and steel production. The blast furnaces of PHOENIX OST, which had belonged to the concerns of Hoesch and Thyssen Krupp AG, were closed down in 2001. The city of Dortmund bought the area and turned the former industrial site into a recreational area. In addition to the production halls and furnaces 2,5 million cubic metres of soil and 420.000 cubic metres of ferroconcrete were removed. In 2010 a superficial lake, the PHOENIX See, has been created.
Today the area is popular among locals for walks along the promenade and visits to local restaurants that settled nearby the western shore. Companies moved their offices into the area and villas and modern apartments are built by the lake.
This recording was made very close to the reed on the northern shore. You can hear the wind rustle through the reed as well as birds and insects. The voices of people and the noise from the construction site are audible, too. At the beginning of the recording an airplane flying high above Dortmund-Hörde can be heard.
Recordist: Jan Hökenschneider (University of Applied Sciences and Arts Dortmund)
Photographer: Kathinka Engels