Reading Response #1: A New Way of Walking

A New Way of Walking introduced me to the term "psychogeography."  After reading what psychogeography is all about, it allowed me to open my mind and stray from my normal path of travel. I think it is an interesting thing because most people usually will not go out of their way to hear new things. It made me want to explore alleys and trails to find something unusual. The concept that the  Dutch artists' collective had is very interesting, I think. Walking in a straight line or in a pattern in which you must follow is a fun strategy. It probable that you will end up somewhere you wouldn't normally travel to.

Sound Walk #1

Were you able to find places and spaces where you could really listen?

Yes, it was a very busy day and there various sounds all over the place.

Was it possible to move without making a sound?

Not really, we were in a big group and people were kind of talking and loud footsteps.

What happened when you plugged your ears, and then unplugged them?

It was a big difference. I felt like I could mainly hear sounds coming from my body when I plugged my ears and the sounds were vibrant when I unplugged.

In your sound log exercise, what types of sounds were you able to hear? List them.

- Dog collars/leashes clanging together.
- Airplanes soaring above.
- People's feet as they ran on the pavement.
- Tires screeching on the road.
- Kids laughing and yelling on the playground.
- The wind rustling the leaves and branches.

Were you able to differentiate between sounds that had a recognizable source and those sounds you could not place?

Mostly.

Human sounds? Mechanical sounds? Natural sounds?

I heard all of them. There were a lot of people around. Bikes, cars. Wind.

Were you able to detect subtleties in the everpresent drone?

What?

Extremely close sounds? Sounds coming from very far away?

Heard mostly close sounds. Far away ones mostly consisted of transportation devices.

What kinds of wind effects were you able to detect (for example, the leaves of trees don't make sounds until they are activated by the wind)?

I heard wind making noises on the water and like the example, blowing leaves.

Were you able to intervene in the urban landscape and create your own sounds by knocking on a resonant piece of metal, activating wind chimes, etc.?

Yes.

Do you feel you have a new understanding or appreciation of the sounds of our contemporary landscape/cityscape?

Yes, when we closed our eyes and listened it allowed me to take in most of the sounds that I usually subconsciously ignore.

How do you think your soundwalk experience will affect your practice as a media artist, if at all?

It will allow me to think about sounds more and how they are important to the media.