THE LONDON SOUND SURVEY BLOG | COMMENTS
Occasional posts on subjects like field recording, London sounds past and present, other websites worth looking at, articles in the press, and news of sound-related events.
Occasional posts on subjects like field recording, London sounds past and present, other websites worth looking at, articles in the press, and news of sound-related events.
Posted by IMR on 09 January 2010
A SOUND-WALK IS a recording made while strolling around somewhere. It’s easy to make one so long as you pay attention to your breathing and don’t wear clothes that rustle or creak as you move. If you’re using head-worn mics of some kind, you have to try not to turn your head. Doing all these things at once must look odd but no-one cares. London’s full of strange-looking people.
Short excerpts of these two sound-walk recordings have already been uploaded, but why not just put the whole lot up? No idea why this wasn’t done in the first place, anyway, this one was recorded while walking around Brixton on a Saturday afternoon May before last, and it’s six-and-a-half minutes long:
The next recording was made in Rye Lane, Peckham, late on a weekday afternoon, just as many of the shops and stalls were starting to close. It’s just under five minutes long:
Both are reminders of warmer weather and I can’t wait for spring to come round again.
Takes me back, takes me back to breezy sunny summers in London walking the cordon off the train through Rye Lane and the rush for the bus back to East Dulwich.
Hopefully back for the summer sometime . . .
Tim
Posted by Tim on 16 January 2010
I think your definition of a Soundwalk is very limiting - it doesn’t necessarily have to involve a recording; it could simply be an exercise in listening & even in questioning the nature of sound (a philosophy of sound); alternatively pre-existing recordings of a particular walk could be given to partipants to hear, perhaps after having done the walk themselves once. In any case, there are a lot of means by which a Soundwalk could take place (ending by visiting an anechoic chamber might be another). If anyone is interested in getting in touch to arrange a Soundwalk please comment or send me a tweet. Thank you
Posted by Boudicca3 on 22 February 2011
Perhaps the definition would have been better applied to soundwalk recordings, rather than soundwalks per se.
I would be a terrible participant in a soundwalk, I’m afraid, as I always want to chat with people (makes mental note to get out more often).
Posted by IMR on 22 February 2011