PHOENIX See IV – Soundscape within the Reed

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 soundscape recording was made within the reed on the eastern shore. You can hear the sounds of various birds and insects. The most dominant sound is the chirping of the grasshoppers. People walk and cycle by and at some point the siren of an ambulance can be heard in the distance. The sounds of the surrounding construction sites accompany the recording.

Recordist: Jan Hökenschneider (University of Applied Sciences and Arts Dortmund)
Photographer: Kathinka Engels