Electroacoustic Music Portfolio: In-Situ Auditory Experiences of Nairobi Bus Soundscapes and Sexual Harassment

This research presents a portfolio of seven electroacoustic compositions exploring experiences and expectations of Nairobi bus soundscapes through a sexual harassment lens (pre-COVID-19). Motivated by the 2014 #mydressmychoice protests, a pivotal moment for women's rights activism in Kenya, I developed an intersectional approach to creating a socially-conscious portfolio of compositions that bridge critical gaps in the broader disciplines of sociology (gender/feminist literature), sound studies (sonic geographies, soundscape studies) and electroacoustic music research and composition.

In developing the portfolio, I examine how the intersection between gender, sound, and safety shapes auditory expectations and experiences of buses, in the Nairobi context. This research addresses two research questions: to what extent does an experience of a bus soundscape in-situ impact understandings of sexual harassment?; and how can the portfolio imbue and communicate the nuances of sexual harassment within Nairobi bus soundscapes while actively engaging with and contributing to the ongoing socio-cultural dialogue surrounding this issue?

To address research question one, I collected and analysed data from field recordings and detailed fieldwork notes using a novel "soundsit-in-motion" methodology that adapts traditional soundscape research techniques to mobile environments. Additionally, I conducted qualitative interviews with practitioners addressing violence against women and girls in Nairobi. Two significant findings emerged: first, fear of sexual harassment fundamentally alters women's perceptual experiences of soundscapes. Second, the manifestation of "transient sonic markers" due to heightened attention to the environment. These sounds function as safety checkpoints and reveal how women might navigate threatening sonic spaces. Theoretical frameworks from Huron's (2007) theory of expectation and Valentine's (1989) 'spatial expression of patriarchy', contextualised how socio-cultural factors such as respectable femininity, lack of sexual harassment awareness and culture of victim blaming and shaming can influence women's everyday soundscape experiences and expectations.

To address research question two, I adapted answers to research question one to create the resulting portfolio. The portfolio is organised into two themes: "Sexual Harassment, Socialisation and Impact on In-Situ Experience" and "The Bus Soundscape and Transient Sonic Markers" and translates these complex issues that emerged in research question one into compositional works. The research and subsequent portfolio established clear connections between socialisation practices, in-situ soundscape experiences, fear of sexual harassment, and the manifestation of transient sonic markers.