Image via CrunchBase
On Monday, July 18, World Listening Day is upon us. Sponsored by the World Listening Project, this day is focused on the sounds that surround us and the ways in which they weave natural, cultural, and social webs of experience. The field work we have done so far has emphasized documentation of cultural practices and contexts in a mostly visual manner—largely because people tend to focus on what they can see, while what they can hear tends to take a back seat. In the spirit of World Listening Day, however, we’d like to suggest that all of us involved in the field school turn our attention toward sounds as we continue to think about interpreting the cultural heritage and practices we are encountering in Beijing.
I’ve been making some field recordings with my iPhone during the last week or so, using both the RJDJ app and the FiRe app. Both apps draw on the audio capabilities of the iPhone, with RJDJ adding sound manipulation into the mix (FiRe produces straight or dry recordings…). In either case, the emphasis is on sound and listening; here are a few examples:
You need to have Flash installed to listen directly on the site. Install Flash or you can download the recording instead
Recorded from Echolon. Check out more recordings from Echolon…
You need to have Flash installed to listen directly on the site. Install Flash or you can download the recording instead
Recorded from Echolon. Check out more recordings from Echolon…
Across these three recordings, what kinds of representation occur? What are the perspectives that come across aurally? Think about these questions, as well as others that come to mind as our time in Beijing draws to a close. One thing we might think about doing during our last few days here is to develop a soundwalk during a group outing. What do the sounds around you allow you to communicate, understand, or interpret about your surroundings?
