Supported projects

Notre-Dame Whispers is an audio-immersive, autonomous, and geolocated tour experience designed to discover the Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral through sound. Accessible to all audiences equipped with headphones and a smartphone, the mobile application Ekko of Notre-Dame de Paris, which serves as the technical support for the experience, is free and available in French, English, and Spanish. In line with UNESCO’s mission to safeguard and enhance intangible cultural heritage, Notre-Dame Whispers highlights the unique sonic identity of Notre-Dame, shaped by its liturgical and musical practices and its architecture. Based on the research of the PHEND project (The Past Has Ears at Notre-Dame) funded by the National Research Agency, this initiative aims to transmit this rich sonic heritage on a large scale. The experience invites visitors to a gamified walk around Notre-Dame that combines sight with sound. Guided by the voice of a narrator who personifies the monument, they explore various points of interest via geolocation. Each listening station reveals viewpoints associated with memories they must collect, thus reassembling the cathedral’s sonic memory. Thanks to binaural audio, the stories they hear are strikingly realistic, allowing them to feel immersed in key moments of the cathedral’s history. The official launch of the tour in May 2024 welcomed nearly 650 visitors and recorded 1000 application downloads. Mediators collected visitors’ impressions through questionnaires and interviews, confirming a very positive reception and appreciation for the sound immersion and originality of this mediation tool. The tour will be deployed for 5 years around the cathedral, ensuring continuity in the transmission and enhancement of this exceptional sonic heritage.