Shush ... TED Prize City 2.0 award winner Jason Sweeney finds a quiet spot in Adelaide. Picture: Mark Brake Source: adelaidenow
ARTIST Jason Sweeney hates crowds and detests noise - so much so he has developed a smartphone app that maps a city's quietest spaces.
It turns out the 41-year-old South Australian isn't the only one with an aversion to volume.
After launching in Adelaide in March, his participatory art project, Stereopublic - the Crowdsourcing Quiet, is turning heads worldwide.
"The idea is that people find places and submit the location, which then gets geo-tagged and put on to a map," Mr Sweeney said.
He says peace and quiet can be found in alleyways, carparks and gardens as well as on rooftops.
The project won 2012's TED Prize City 2.0, given to individuals with a bold vision.
It is currently used to map hideaways in Melbourne and Brussels, and will be rolled out in Perth and Sydney this month and next, followed by Bristol, London and Edinburgh.
"Most people I know work in offices and want to know where these spaces are," he said.
"Adelaide was the prototype and the place that people look to as an example on how to do their own version of a quiet map of the city."
Not bad for a self-confessed introvert who would rather be anywhere than in the spotlight.
The free app is available at the iTunes store.
IN SEARCH OF PEACE
Jason Sweeney's top quiet spots in Adelaide
Parklet behind the Adelaide City Council: I love the architectural softness of this space and its ability to be both a thoroughfare and a place to sit near trees. I like that it combines both concrete and wood.
Adelaide University's underground car park: The underground car park beneath the Law Building is one of the quietest spaces in the city.
Renaissance Tower lift : This is an old favourite. It's like a quiet chamber that elevates you above the city.
