Reading Response #1

1. Identify the article you have selected and why you chose it.
I chose the article "On A Clear Day I can Hear Forever" by Gary Ferrington. The reason I chose this article is because right away I could relate to it. Gary says that he lives in a City, but not a large city, so right away I thought of Milwaukee. As I read the essay I could visualize in my head exactly what was being described, as it was being described I could hear the sounds in my head. I was able to picture and hear the garbage trucks, the people leaving in the morning for work, and the birds chirping in the morning. I could also picture the trains passing by, because about 6 years ago I also lived by train tracks. This leads to another point, he was descriptive with what he heard, so I'm sure that even someone that doesn't hear those sounds often could imagine them in their own head.

2. What are the main points of the essay?
The main point in this essay was describing the different sounds he heard throughout the day. I found it interesting that he would hear such distant sounds and how he became so accustomed to hearing some sounds that he could even tell time based on the sound that he heard. I suppose that it can be said that the essay is also about how we over look some sounds, and don't even notice them. He also seems to say that not many people take the time to just stop and listen to our surroundings. Sometimes we should just sit still and enjoy the silence.

3. How are the ideas or arguments in this article relevant to your own practice as a media artist?
As I wrote before, I like how he was able to put sounds and images in my head. I also like how he was able to isolate specific sounds out of many different sounds in a city. All of these things make me want to provide my listener with a rateable and enjoyable experience. I will attempt to bring various sounds from a city, into one drift.

Soundwalk Follow-up

* Were you able to find places and spaces where you could really listen?
Yes. We went a few quiet spots, when we were in these areas it was very easy to distinguish between sounds.

* Was it possible to move without making a sound?
I wasn't able to because I had to keep up with everyone else. If I were moving at my own pace, I think it would have been possible to move without making any outside sounds.

* What happened when you plugged your ears, and then unplugged them?
Once they were plugged it was very difficult to hear quiet sounds, they were almost gone. Everything that was loud was very muffled. I could only hear cars passing by, and people walking very close to me. Once I unplugged them it was like a rush of sounds all coming at once.

* In your sound log exercise, what types of sounds were you able to hear? List them.
I heard a lot of different sounds. I heard sounds coming from buildings, like air vents, doors opening, and different rumbling sounds. I also heard a large variety of sounds coming from cars. I heard cars starting, bad exhausts, bad springs, tires going over bumps, brakes, car doors opening/closing, music coming from cars. I heard the most from other people, I heard them talk, walk, sing, and different sounds that they would cause; like the sound of metal hitting a bike lock, someone riding a skateboard.

* Were you able to differentiate between sounds that had a recognizable source and those sounds you could not place?
Not always, in these cases I would just jot down the sounds.

* Human sounds? Mechanical sounds? Natural sounds?
Most of the sounds were either caused by human, or came directly from them. Mechanical sounds could be heard inside the union, and outside of buildings. Natural sounds were a little harder to hear, because it was usually something quiet.

* Were you able to detect subtleties in the everpresent drone?
Not always, it usually fell into the background.

* Extremely close sounds? Sounds coming from very far away?
The wind was almost always present in my hears, as well as the more obvious things like footsteps, people talking, and pages being turned by me or my classmates. I heard cars from far away, and also some close sounds began to drift away.

* 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)?
The wind was always in my ear when we walked outside, and it was also heard very clearly when we were around trees. I also heard it mess around with notebook paper.

* 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.?
No, I did not. I did however hear a lot of people hit metal objects with other hard objects that made resonating metal sounds.

* Do you feel you have a new understanding or appreciation of the sounds of our contemporary landscape/cityscape?
I definitely do feel that I have a slightly better understanding. I never really stopped to hear all of the sounds that are around me.

* How do you think your soundwalk experience will affect your practice as a media artist, if at all?
It helps me to distinguish sounds, and try to isolate them. Now I try to pay attention to different sounds everywhere I go, and I am surprised at the things I hear sometimes.