Consonant and dissonant sonic ecologies: navigating affective atmospheres on Bourbon Street, New Orleans

In this paper we interrogate how the resonances of a localized sonic ecology call forth a multiplicity of contingent emotions that might be used to negotiate spaces of the modern city. We listen, therefore, for how sound impacts bodies in space, how it mediates the connections between people and place through affect and emotion, and how it reveals things that are not available to the other senses. We argue that while all sonic ecologies are resonant, some are consonant and experienced as being in the right place, whereas others are dissonant and result in a feeling of being out of place. We draw upon interdisciplinary work in urban geography, sound studies and interpretive consumer research to explicate issues involved in engaging emotionally with the sonic ecology of place. In our specific case, the place of interest is Bourbon Street in the Vieux Carré, New Orleans; a place steeped in music and sound, often depicted as exciting and unique, but sometimes with an undercurrent of danger.