Immersive Audio Storytelling: An Exploration of the Potential of Spatial (Multi-channel) Audio to Represent Stephen Lawrence’s Story

[re]locate is a responsive, multi-channel audio installation revisiting the tragic events surrounding the racist murder of Stephen Lawrence by a gang of white youths in 1993. Derived from earlier AHRC-funded practice-based research, the installation exploits the immersive properties of spatial (multi-channel) audio to offer a reconstruction of events from a number of different perspectives, based on transcripts of witness statements from the Stephen Lawrence Public Inquiry, published as the Macpherson Report in 1999. The exposition aims to provide an overview of the theoretical underpinnings and methodological framework for the original research. As [re]locate was created from a prototype based on the ‘violence hub’ narrative format, and purpose-designed to unlock the power of Stephen Lawrence’s story to engage audiences with the complex issue of racism, the exposition concludes with a reflection on the analysis of qualitative audience feedback on the immersive audio story, and the significance of the work.

The binaural mix available for listening through headphones re-presents one version of the story from the original multi-channel installation.