Wellington man making musical masterpiece from car horns in the city's Victoria Tunnel

Chris Winter is collecting the sounds of car horns in the city’s Victoria Tunnel.

A Wellington sound engineer is working on his next masterpiece, a symphony played entirely by car horns.

Over the next few weeks, Chris Winter will be collecting the sounds of cars in the city's Victoria Tunnel.

Speaking to 1 NEWS, Mr Winter says he's unsure what the final product will sound like.

"I'm the kind of person who picks up an instrument and goes, I wonder if I can make something fit - be that a dog bowl or a violin," he said.

He's previously created soundscapes for films like the Hobbit and King Kong, but his piece titled Carcophony will be submitted as part of his Fine Arts degree at Victoria University.

The final project's likely to heavily feature car horns.

That's because of a local tradition of tooting in the tunnel that some believe began in honour of murdered teenager Phyllis Symonds, who was buried alive in the tunnel when it was being built in the early 1930s.

Whatever the origins, the tradition carries on today despite the practice being illegal under the road rules.

"I'm not trying to encourage it or make a big deal out of it, but it’s a part of Wellington and I want to capture it," Mr Winter said.

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