Xie, Jiayu; Kang, Jian; Zhao, Zhiqing; Hou, Yuanbo; (2025) Effects of audiovisual information and its perception on the sense of culture in everyday heritage. Applied Acoustics , 239 , Article 110795. 10.1016/j.apacoust.2025.110795.

Text Jiayu Xie 2025_AA_Whiterose.pdf - Accepted Version Access restricted to UCL open access staff until 22 May 2026. Download (3MB)

Abstract

Previous research on audiovisual perception in heritage contexts has concentrated on sites with outstanding value or distinctive soundscapes. This study shifts the focus to ‘everyday heritage’, using 25 historic public spaces in Northeast China as case studies to explore how the audiovisual environment shapes the sense of culture in these ordinary heritage spaces. Objective environmental data were collected on-site, and assessment questionnaires concerning the sense of culture, soundscape perception, and visual perception were administered to 42 participants in a laboratory setting, resulting in 1,050 data sets. The findings show that (1) For visual information, spatial characteristics with a sense of enclosure and crowd density positively affect the sense of culture. Visual perception correlates significantly with three cultural dimensions, which are historical depth, emotional connection, and cultural identity. (2) For auditory information, the presence of sound enhances emotional connection. Preferred sounds improve all three dimensions of the sense of culture. However, the impact of different sounds varies by cultural space type. For instance, ‘liveliness’ suits social interaction spaces, whereas ‘tranquillity’ is more appropriate for transport spaces. (3) For sound effects on visual perception, auditory presence increases gaze duration and enhances the integrity and authenticity of visual perception. (4) Structural Equation Modelling shows that although visual perception exerts a dominant influence, which is 8.8 times that of soundscape perception, soundscape perception still significantly affects the sense of culture. Soundscape eventfulness has a stronger effect than pleasantness in shaping the sense of culture.

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