After reading "Sense of Place" by Cross I would draw similarities from the persons that Cross interviewed and my own experiences. In Crosses essay I could relate with what Cathy calls a "Spiritual Relationship". Cathy states that her spiritual relationship with her environment is one where she feels at home.Cathy also says that she enjoys going to other places, but when it all comes down, her neighborhood or environment is one she adores.
During my Drift 1 walk yesterday evening, at times I would feel at home as I would walk the urban streets of South Milwaukee. I am not from South Milwaukee, but the sounds, appearaces,smells, and social bonds with people of different cultures would force me to reminise of my earlier years at home. I would get excited when I would hear the sounds of the Ice cream truck rolling down the street or the smells of hot charcoal as people were grilling outdoors. The scenery of people of diverse ethnic backgrounds socializing on porches and children playing together would activate this spiritual relationship I call "home".
In Cross's reading the topic of "Place Alienation" was another favorite of mine as I would relate with the participant Kathryn. Kathryn is an individual whom has lived in many places and explains why she feels different in some of those places she has lived in. She digs further on why she is not satisfied with those certain places.
I currently live in a place where I feel alienated, to a point where I tend to shy-away from enjoying the outdoors. Not to say that I live in fear in the location where I am, but I despite taking walks in the area, because of the lack of culture and the stiffness of the people. Unlike my spiritual relationship with home, I am less greeted or paid attention to when I walk the streets. The rareness of eye contact or verbal communication exists in the new place where I live now. I would say that it is more or less people friendly, compared to my spiritual relation I have with my true home.
Cross's article touched upon various connections that a person may feel or think of his or her environment. I enjoyed reading the participants point of views of their living experiences within different locations. This article forces the sound artist to establish a more intimate relationship with his or her environment
-Dominitric Griffin
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Soundwalk #1
Were you able to find places and spaces where you could really listen?
Yes. I was able to separate my hearing from my physical location.
Was it possible to move without making a sound?
No I find it very hard.
What happened when you plugged your ears, and then unplugged them?
When I would plug my ears it would hide some of the sounds that I found dominant within the space/field. As for when I unplugged my ears I would hear the usual ambient noises around campus.
In your sound log exercise, what types of sounds were you able to hear? List them Vehicles accelerating, starting, horns, and enginies at various peaks. I would sometimes hear music as cars would pass by.
Were you able to differentiate between sounds that had a recognizable source and those sounds you could not place? No
Human sounds?Foot-steps and moving of the body. Mechanical sounds?Vehicles Natural sounds?No
Were you able to detect subtleties in the everpresent drone?
Extremely close sounds?Yes,human noise such as walking and breathing. Sounds coming from very far away? The air, public transportation
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)? Leaves and paper being affected by wind
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 thus far..hope to have a better understanding through the semester
How do you think your soundwalk experience will affect your practice as a media artist, if at all?It will teach myself the discipline of withdrawing from the usual soundsI would hear in an urban setting, in return search for sounds I was unfamiliar with because of my style of listening.
Yes. I was able to separate my hearing from my physical location.
Was it possible to move without making a sound?
No I find it very hard.
What happened when you plugged your ears, and then unplugged them?
When I would plug my ears it would hide some of the sounds that I found dominant within the space/field. As for when I unplugged my ears I would hear the usual ambient noises around campus.
In your sound log exercise, what types of sounds were you able to hear? List them Vehicles accelerating, starting, horns, and enginies at various peaks. I would sometimes hear music as cars would pass by.
Were you able to differentiate between sounds that had a recognizable source and those sounds you could not place? No
Human sounds?Foot-steps and moving of the body. Mechanical sounds?Vehicles Natural sounds?No
Were you able to detect subtleties in the everpresent drone?
Extremely close sounds?Yes,human noise such as walking and breathing. Sounds coming from very far away? The air, public transportation
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)? Leaves and paper being affected by wind
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 thus far..hope to have a better understanding through the semester
How do you think your soundwalk experience will affect your practice as a media artist, if at all?It will teach myself the discipline of withdrawing from the usual soundsI would hear in an urban setting, in return search for sounds I was unfamiliar with because of my style of listening.
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