Reading Response #1

For my first reading response, I chose an article by David Troop called "The Art of Noise".

I found this article to take an interesting look on the contrast between music, art, and sound alone. Troop defines sound as an "unpredictable evanescence." He says that artists enjoy working with sound because of this unpredictability. However, David brings up a conflict on sound art being either music or speech. He says that most people think of sounds as just what they are. Others see sound as something more.

David also brings up the differentials between Art and Sound and Sound Art. Sound Art is not what most people would think of as just music. In fact, Sound Art is trying to distance itself from that stereotype. Troop says that "Sound used in art as a raw material is more likely to be an idea within a bigger idea." There is a broad history that goes back to the early 20th century having to do with the relationship between sound and visual art. Back in the early days, Troop says that the two had a closer relationship than they did now.

I think this article is an important read because it outlines sound as something other than just music or effects for a movie. Sound is an art within it's own. Most people do not understand the importance of sound in art and how we do not recognize these sounds that we hear on a daily basis. If one is to become a media artist, he or she must have a firm grasp on the importance of sound in media and how it does not just come as a secondary to visual arts.

SoundWalk Response

* Were you able to find places and spaces where you could really listen?

Yes. I think the forest area outside of the Sandburg towers was a great place to hear everything around me without any big distractions.

* Was it possible to move without making a sound?

Not really. No matter what there always seems to be a sound that iminates from you making a move.

* What happened when you plugged your ears, and then unplugged them?
The sounds that I had made out with my ears plugged were different than they really were when I unplugged them. I was also trying to make out sounds in the distance that I wouldn’t normally hear from that far away while my ears were plugged.

* In your sound log exercise, what types of sounds were you able to hear? List them.

Bike on sidewalk going by my left.
Plastic can thrown in garbage
Chirping in the distance
Shuffled flip flops across the concrete
Laughter between two girls in the grass
High pitched squeek of some creature
Slammed car door and an engine trying to start
Books tossed into dumpster (thud) pages flapping together
Low chirp of grasshoppers below me
Bus brakes squeeking rumble of the diesel engine
Loud techno music in a passing car
Skateboard clunking over sidewalk cracks
Low music from persons earbuds walking by
Woodchips being shuffled on the ground
Sniffling of a persons nose
Car horn honking
Car driving over metal grates
Feet pushing through the grass
Keys jangling together
Papers rustling together
Buzzing noise of lights in garage
Feet simultaneously hitting the steps down the stairs
Trays hitting the table
Chair dragged across floor
Tree branches blowing in wind
Airplane passing overhead
Light mellow tone of Piano in Union

* Were you able to differentiate between sounds that had a recognizable source and those sounds you could not place?

Yes. There were certain sounds that I knew their source. Others I could not recognize what the sound exactly was.

* Human sounds? Mechanical sounds? Natural sounds?

All of them. Lots of laughter and chat. Mechanical sounds of fans running, cars driving by, etc. Natural sounds included creatures buzzing, trees blowing.

* Extremely close sounds? Sounds coming from very far away?

Close sounds were the papers rustling, people coughing. Far away sounds were police sirens and airplanes.

* 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)?

Sometimes the wind would make an eerie sound. Other times I could hear the wind smacking against things.

* Do you feel you have a new understanding or appreciation of the sounds of our contemporary landscape/cityscape?

Yes. Now when I walk I hear sounds differently and react in different ways. My understanding for certain sounds has changed.

• How do you think your soundwalk experience will affect your practice as a media artist, if at all?

I think it will help advance my skills as a media artist. Sound is an important role in media and the more I understand it the better.