Soundwalk (media firm)
Soundwalk is an American/French media firm. Established in 2000 by Stephan Crasneanscki, Soundwalk CREATES and produces audio walking tours, sound installations, soundtracks for movies and television, and other audio art.
Walking Tours
Soundwalk makes audio walking tours−"Soundwalks"−designed to be listened to via earphones while walking through a neighborhood, an art exhibit or a museum. The Soundwalk features a narrator, bits of music and a mix of fictional and site-recorded sounds, designed to make the listener feel more like a participator, especially when compared to the standard narration-and-music-only type walking tour that can make one feel like "a detached observer". The narrator is a local celebrity who can guide you through the side-streets and non-tourist destinations, enhancing the "insider experience".
NYC
Bronx
"Yankee Stadium,"--narrated by Tony Morante
"Hip Hop," Bronx River—narrated by The Original Jazzy Jay
"Graffiti," Hunts Point--narrated by BG183 (a.k.a Sotero Ortiz)
"The Bronx Soundwalk"-- a set of all three Bronx walking tours
- Winner, Audie Award for best Original Work (2004)
Brooklyn
"DUMBO" narrated by Asa Mader.
"Men’s Hasidic Walk" and "Women’s Hasidic Walk," Williamsburg--narrated by Joseph Piekarski and Pearl Gluck
- Winner, Audie Award for best Original Work (2007)
Manhattan
"Chinatown"--narrated by Jami Gong
"Ground Zero" (2004)--created by the Kitchen Sisters (Davia Nelson and Nikki Silva) and Soundwalk narrated by Paul Auster, produced by NPR
*Winner of Merit, Dalton Pen Award for Multi-media/Audio, (2005)
- Winner, AudioFile Earphone Award (2005)
- Nominated, Audie Award for best Original Work, (2005)
"Little Italy"--narrated by Vinny Vella
"Lower East Side" narrated by Catherine McNellis
"Meatpacking District" narrated by Ivy
"Times Square" narrated by Timothy "Speed" Levitch
"Wall Street" narrated by Johnny T. Solitto
"Bryant Park" (2009)--narrated by Matthew Broderick
China
- In 2008, Louis Vuitton and Soundwalk collaborated to make Walking Tours for three cities in China to celebrate both 10 years of Soundwalk City Tours and the 2008 Beijing Olympics. All three tours are available in six different languages.
"Beijing"--narrated by Gong Li
- Winner, Audie Award for best Original Work (2009)
- Winner, Bronze Summit Creative Award for Product/Service Promotion Video (2009)
- Finalist, Indie Book Award for Audio Book (2009)
"Hong Kong"--narrated by Shu Qi
*Winner, Bronze Summit Creative Award for Product/Service Promotion Video (2009)
- Finalist, Indie Book Award for Audio Book (2009)
"Shanghai"--narrated by Joan Chen
*Winner, Bronze Summit Creative Award for Product/Service Promotion Video (2009)
- Finalist, Indie Book Award for Audio Book (2009)
France
Paris
"Belleville"--narrated by Florence Loiret-Caille
"Marais," narrated by Isild Le Besco
"Palais Royal,"--narrated by Helene Fillieres
"Pigalle"--narrated by Lou Doillon
"Saint-Germain des Prés"-- narrated by Virginie Ledoyen. Music composed by Benjamin Biolay
India
"Varanasi, City of Light"--narrated by Dr. Robert Svoboda. Co-produced by Eddie Stern
*Nominated, Audie Award for best Inspirational/ Spiritual work, (2006)
Museum Tours
"Chanel Mobile Art"--narrated by Jeanne Moreau
"The Da Vinci Code," Louvre--narrated by Jean Reno
Running and Training Guides
"Berlin Running Guide," Tiergarten--produced by Puma
"London Running Guide," Hyde Park
"New York Running Guide," Central Park
"Paris Running Guide," Bois de Boulogne
Installations
"Chanel Mobile Art Exhibition"--soundscape heard around the exterior of the Mobile Art Pavilion created by Zaha Hadid
"Abu Dhabi Sound Project"--soundscape for cultural event “Abu Dhabi Art, Talks & Sensations” by Fabrice Bousteau
"L’art contemporain en Europe," curated by Fabrice Bousteau of Beaux-Arts Magazine—permanent installation in main lobby of Domaine Pommery in Reims, France
"India Soundscape"—featuring DJ Cheb i Sabbah
"Bronx Soundscape"—Jazzy Jay
"La Nuit Blanche," (2004)—13 unique itineraries and 13 short films all accessible by mobile phone. Created and produced by Soundwalk for Orange France Télécom. Featuring the voices of Fabrice Bousteau, Pascal Greggory, Helena, Sinclair, Julie Depardieu, Fabrice Hybert, Ludivine Sagnier, Valérie Mrejen, Philippe Starck, Xavier Veilhan, Philippe Katerine, Vincent Ravalec, and Étienne de Crécy.
Film
Kill the Ego—Soundwalk provided both the inspiration and soundtrack for the movie
Television
Voyage au bout de la Rue—Cinematic adaptations of walking tours designed for television, streaming mobile, and DVD distribution, the result of a collaboration with M6 and Paris Première.
"Little Italy: Wiseguys, Bullets, Backrooms." 53 min
"Saint-Germain des Prés" 6th Arrondissement
"Belleville" 20th Arrondissement
"Le Marais" 4th Arrondissement
"Palais Royal" 1st Arrondissement
"Pigalle" 18th Arrondissement
Other media
"24 Hours: The Starck Mix" (2009)--24 hours of music by Soundwalk for Philippe Starck, designed to start at the time it is in whatever time zone the user happens to be in at that moment