Through immersive sound storytelling, UBC Geography Associate Professor of Teaching Dr. Siobhán Wittig McPhee invites listeners to experience campus through the hidden stories of those who keep it running behind the scenes.
As an educator as part of UBC’s Educational Leadership stream, Dr. Wittig McPhee uses interactive, place-based digital storytelling to generate empathy and engagement in social justice. Her most recent project, Exploring Spatial Empathy: Foregrounding the Voices of UBC-V’s Custodial Staff is an interactive sound piece that explores the concept of spatial empathy through the voices of UBC’s custodial staff.
Dr. Wittig McPhee (SWM) spoke to us about her research and this audio production, sharing insights about the process, her findings and creative ways to engage learners and build community. Lily Liu (LL), a Dual Master of Archival Studies and Library and Information Studies student at the UBC School of Information, also shared her experience working on the project.
What drew you to this research project and why is this topic important to you?
SWM: This project emerged from a fundamental question that has driven my work as a geographer: how do we truly see each other when we share the same spaces? The concept of spatial empathy—understanding how places are experienced differently depending on our embodied social characteristics—became particularly relevant during the pandemic when we were all physically separated from campus spaces that custodial staff continued to maintain daily.
Spatial empathy isn’t just an academic concept—it’s a tool for social justice. We all move through the same buildings, walk the same pathways, yet we often exist in parallel worlds without truly understanding each other’s experiences. When we can’t see the complexity of someone’s life, when their labour becomes invisible, we perpetuate systems of inequality.
“Custodial workers are essential to our daily campus life, yet their stories, struggles, and contributions often remain hidden. This research aims to make visible what capitalism and labour inequity render invisible.”
LL: My primary practice is in archival studies, which involves storytelling through historical records. This project, with its considerations of place-based experiences and spatial empathy, as well as story delivery via audio immersion, dovetailed well with my interests. My dad also worked as a custodian to support my education, so the project also holds personal meaning. Custodial staff are a working group whose voices do not tend to have many opportunities to be heard, so I would be happy if the project was able to provide a window into their experiences.
What surprised you about the conversations you had with custodial workers at UBC?
SWM: Many workers have a deep emotional connection with the campus itself. Viewing their work as more than “just a job,” many spoke with genuine love about specific spaces—the Rose Garden, the ocean views, the historical buildings. Sean, one participant, encouraged people to “go to the Rose Garden and smell the roses for 20 minutes” when having a difficult day.
These stories also reveal UBC as a microcosm of global labour migration patterns—workers from the Philippines, India, Fiji, Cameroon, and beyond, each bringing complex histories and skills that often go unrecognized in their current roles. Nazreen spoke about how when international students approach her, “we feel welcome, and they feel welcome too,” highlighting these beautiful moments of cross-cultural connection.
“These workers also have a deep understanding of campus community dynamics. They see everything—students struggling at food banks, hidden stories of academic stress and success, meaningful relationships with professors and PhD students, sharing advice and personal lives. They're not just maintaining spaces; they're integral to the social fabric of campus life.”
Finally, the resilience and dignity with which they approach their work is remarkable. As Nazreen said, “I’m not ashamed of anything. I’m doing the right thing. I’m working hard with both my hands.” Their pride in their contribution, despite often feeling invisible, is both inspiring and heartbreaking.
LL: These stories resonated rather than surprised. Many staff talked about their immigration journeys and taking up custodial work to support their families and future generations. All the stories were unique, but at the same time, very grounded in their universal human quality.
What impact do you hope your work has?
SWM: The immediate goal is to help campus community members truly see and appreciate the custodial staff who share our spaces daily. I hope this work creates what I call “spatial empathy in action”—moving beyond surface-level acknowledgment to genuine understanding and systemic change.
I want my students to develop spatial awareness—to truly see and understand the world around them, including the campus they navigate daily and the diverse community of people who work here alongside them. Students rushing between classes focused only on their academic goals miss profound learning opportunities that exist right in front of them. Immersive audio storytelling can be a powerful pedagogical tool for building empathy across difference. The 3D sound technology places listeners literally in the acoustic world of custodial workers—hearing the morning campus sounds, the cleaning equipment, the multilingual conversations. It teaches students that learning happens everywhere, not just in classrooms, and that everyone on campus has knowledge and experiences worth engaging with.
When students begin to recognize the multicultural wisdom and complex life experiences within our custodial workforce—people like Nazreen from Fiji, Ernest from Cameroon, or Manjit from Punjab—their entire understanding of campus community expands. They learn that education is not just about acquiring knowledge but about developing the capacity to see and value the full humanity of those who share our spaces. Imagine how much richer our teaching and learning environment could become if students understood that every person on campus has something valuable to teach them about resilience, global perspectives, and the meaning of community.
Resources
For educators interested in incorporating spatial empathy and immersive storytelling approaches into their own teaching and learning, Dr. Wittig McPhee has resources on her blog including some of her previous research on blended learning and digital storytelling in various Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) articles.
Dr. Wittig McPhee’s project will be showcased this summer and fall around campus. Watch for posters that highlight the project with links to the audio piece, enabling people to listen to the stories in the physical spaces they take place.
Listen to the interactive sound piece
Voices of the Unseen is an immersive 3D audio experience that invites listeners into the daily lives and experiences of UBC’s custodial staff through their own voices and the ambient sounds of campus spaces they maintain. The piece takes listeners on a journey from early morning campus preparations through the bustling midday crowds, revealing the rich personal stories, global migration experiences, and deep connections these essential workers have with the university community.
