Reading Response #1

I selected Joseph Hart’s article “A New Way of Walking.” The article drew me in as a reader because it was not only interesting, but engaging as well. It seemed to speak to its audience rather than at them, proving that Hart is passionate about psychogeography. I like that he uses specific examples from his experiences exploring the secrets of certain cities. I also liked that one of the cities he wrote about was near the Twin Cities in Minnesota, because I live there! It made me think about the fact that I could find so many awesome sights and sounds in my own hometown- I don’t have to go far! Hart’s article made me think and got me excited about exploring wherever I am.

The subject of Hart’s article, psychogeography, is a term which describes various ways one can explore and come to a new awareness about a city, and he zeroes in on algorithmic walks and the secrets they can reveal. On his walk in Albert Lea, Minnesota, he used an algorithmic strategy (first left, second right, repeat), which forced him to explore areas he normally would not go, and therefore discover “secrets” of the town. Hart writes positively about the algorithmic strategy, stating that it is “neither goal-oriented nor random” and that it is “structured but always surprising” (1). Hart’s main point in “A New Way of Walking” is that wherever you are, if you walk with purpose but without a destination in mind, your “consciousness of what was important and unimportant, beautiful and dull […will be] completely altered” (Hart 2).

The topics in Hart’s article are relevant to my own practice as a media artist because as an artist, I should be aware of all types of sensual stimulation, whether it is sights, sounds, smells, or visually interesting artifacts and locations. Hart’s article encouraged me to be aware of my surroundings wherever I am, and to even go searching for interesting and unknown places. Being aware of techniques such as the algorithmic walk and a having a sense of openness to sights and sounds will further my success as a media artist.

Soundwalk Follow-up Questions

• Were you able to find places and spaces where you could really listen?
  Yes, I found many places where I could really listen! I realized how much I tune things out as I'm walking, even though I rarely use my iPod around the streets. If I focused on the area, I could really hear lots of noises, and I could begin to hear them overlap, which is almost overwhelming.
  
  
• Was it possible to move without making a sound?
  No. I mean, every breath makes a sound, so I guess if you hold your breath you can not make a sound for a short time. But when I would walk on various surfaces, usually a very faint sound would happen.
  
  
• What happened when you plugged your ears, and then unplugged them?
  The sound would come and go. Unplugging/Plugging ears off and on works really well at a concert, it almost sounds like the sound is fading out and in. But when I would plug my ears, the sound wouldn't go away all the way. It was just muffled.
  

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

1. Spokes of a bike whizzing through the air
2. Scuffing of shoes on cement
3. Voices talking about everything
4. Something shrill and squeaky... but I'm not sure what it was
5. An airplane overhead- loud and then quiet, like when I plugged my ears and unplugged them.
6. Someone spit into a pile of dried leaves- crunchy and quick, dry and wet, both.
7. Clicking of a pen
8. Engine of car starting
9. Door of library closing- squeaky and slow, but sharp close
10. Books thrown into a dumpster- resonates
11. Bus breaks- shrill and drawn out
12. Bus acceleration- cresendo
13. Diesel sound of a school bus- staccato almost
14. Blaring of music in a car
15. Skateboard wheels on cement- even sound until it hits a new slab of cement.
16. Wind blowing through leaves of a huge tree
17. Me scratching my head
18. Walking on woodchips- shuffling, muffled
19. Walking on grass
20. Metal shifting when someone walked on it
21. Fingers typing on keyboard
22. Flipflops flopping against heels- sticky sound, almost
23. Chairs squeaking on linoleum
    

• Were you able to differentiate between sounds that had a recognizable source and those sounds you could not place?
  Yes, easily recognizable sounds could be placed easily because they were familiar. The weird sounds, or the ones that were more difficult to place, were the ones that were unfamiliar but from a familiar source.
  
  
• Human sounds? Mechanical sounds? Natural sounds?
  I heard all three of these sounds. They are easy to distinguish between because mostly, they are familiar.
  
  
• Were you able to detect subtleties in the everpresent drone?
  The drone is made by the subtleties overlapping, looping, and playing in and out of each other. I could pick apart the drone if I really listened hard, and then I would hear the subtle sounds, such as a fan in the distance.
  
  
• Extremely close sounds? Sounds coming from very far away?
  Close sounds were often louder and clearer. They were more distinguishable because I could see them, I think. Farther away sounds were more muffled and more part of the everpresent drone.
  
  
• 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 makes noise when it passes through bike spokes, through leaves, and past my ears. It blew the pages of our notebooks as we stood there, too.
  
  
• 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. Even just scratching my own head created a unique sound, one that I have obviously heard before but never noticed. I could intervene by shuffling rather than stepping, or by jumping on metal so it was louder. There are many ways one can intervene.
  
  
• Do you feel you have a new understanding or appreciation of the sounds of our contemporary landscape/cityscape?
  Yes, definitely. I can't wait to use my microphones to record more and get even more appreciation for the sounds in Milwaukee!
  
  
• How do you think your soundwalk experience will affect your practice as a media artist, if at all?
  I will be much more aware of sounds now, which is something a media artist should be good at!

Here are my Soundwalk maps. I drew two, the top one is inside of a parking ramp and the bottom one is right outside of the ramp. I drew what the sound might look like if it's frequencies were visible, and I labeled what it was.
I promise it is scanned! I don't know why it looks unclear on the top, perhaps because my notebook was too close to the edge of the scanner. Thankfully it is still readable.