I-Hear-Too Researchers in York Grand Tour 1 May 2012

Research by members of I Hear Too is featured on York Grand Tour - a celebration of York's achievement in Science and Industry.  The York Grand Tour consists of 60 large-scale images and messages placed in prime locations across the city centre seen by thousands of people as they go about their daily work or leisure. Each image is accompanied by text and a QR code to allow the viewer to link through to further on-line resources, including in our case, some audio examples of our work.

Our exhibit is loacted in the Museum Gardens by the ruins of St. Mary's Abbey and describes how University of York AudioLab researchers are using the latest 3-D audio modelling technology to recreate the sound of 16th century choral voices in the Abbey ruins.

The York Grand Tour also has a smartphone App to allow visitors to make the most of the tour
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Before its closure by Henry VIII in 1539, St Mary’s Abbey Church rivaled York Minster in both size and spectacle. What was it like 500 years ago to walk through its darkened aisles and hear soaring voices echo through the gothic vaults?

Researchers in the AudioLab are bringing the sounds of the past to life using the technology that architects employ to design buildings of the future.

The Acoustic Reconstruction of St Mary’s Abbey: Damian T. Murphy, Stephen Oxnard, Aglaia Foteinou AudioLab, Department of Electronics, University of York, UK.

More about the York Grand Tour

More about the acoustic reconstruction of St Mary's Abbey


(Images: Stephen Oxnard and Aglaia Foteinou)