(I could not figure out how to export my audition soundscape to this post so ended up recording the sound onto my phone for the time being, which is located above)
I found week two of Invisible Environments a lot of fun! It was exiting getting to know my classmates better and taking part in more group activities with them to look into the ways in which we can become so oblivious to our surrounding sounds and the variables that affect them.
Garth Paine highlights this in Acoustic Ecology “Often ignored or underrated, simple active listening, that is, being truly present in the environment, can reveal an immense spectrum of information.” (Paine, 2017) After week two class, I decided to try implement this activity in my own life and began to actively listen to my surroundings. I found it took my brain time to adjust and really tune into the location I sat in. This began to alter over time and I found I was able to tune into the way different objects and landmarks affected the way sound travelled when I moved locations.
Something I was interested by way the way that a sound can take you back to a certain place. One morning I caught the sound of birds that sounded exactly like the ones that I hear back home in the country. This made me think of memory based listening which “demonstrates the manner in which sound is embodied, retained in the body as a kind of visceral experience.” (Paine, 2017)
Overall, I aimed to consider these aspects carefully when I created my soundscape experiment, and although I am not the brightest when it comes to using Adobe audition, I feel I was able to create something I was proud of and that represented Alexandra Gardens Kew in a slightly quirky but authentic way.
After receiving a peer review it was encouraging to hear that the intent behind my soundscape could be heard and interpreted in different ways. Something I aim to take on board is my preparation for due dates of assignments. This would enable me to figure out how I plan to upload different types of media for example my soundscape for this assignment.
REFERENCES:
Paine, G (2017, May 4) Acoustic Ecology 2.0, Contemporary music review, Vol 36, doi: 10.1080/07494467.2017.1395136, Routledge, Abingdon,