Silent(ish) Meditations + Walk
For my pre-walk preparation I chose three exercises to explore out of Pauline Oliveros’ Sonic Meditations.
The first I attempted was XIV (Tumbling Song) - it was fine. I'm not much for making noises, and this is not in my wheelhouse.
XIX - (Meditation / exploring external + internal sounds) was much more in my comfort zone. I enjoyed taking a few minutes to meditate on sound prior to my walk.
The final exercise I explore was -XXIV. The task was to focus your attention on on external source of constant sound and imagine alternate sounds while remaining aware of the external source. I found that I do not think in sounds, only words and images. Whenever I would try to imagine a noise, I would envision the action of an object making the noise, when I tried to focus on the noise, I would create a word that describes the sound, but not imagine the sound. I find this extremely interesting, because I almost always have silent dreams as well.
For the walk I focused on using my other senses to capture sound as it happened - as I would see something move, or feel the wind pick up, I would hit record to capture what was about to happen. I found that I was able to capture sounds as they began, and filled my phone with everything I could sense.
I created 4 sound files exploring the ways to share my experience, each showcasing a different selection of repetitive sounds that I hear along this path. While most of the recordings were solid, 6 files I could not distinguish what I had been recording, most likely where I stopped to catch the wind in the trees.
A reminder of why I love cats so very much.
The birds I adore hearing kept my eyes to the trees and sky searching for the source of the most relaxing sounds in nature.
The reminder of all things human kept bringing me back to the present moment, but not in the same way meditation creates, and reminded me of the heaviness that accompanies being here now.
My thoughts focused on the source, I recorded what I could later not identify.
Your first audio clip is hysterical!!!...as I get older & more attached to my cat, I, too, am annoyed by the loud, rambunctious nature of dogs...it sounded as though you were in a dog shelter...I immediately found myself in an aviary for your second clip...you seemed to have recorded the surrounding sounds very astutely...in the next segment, it seemed as though you were walking among human beings, & all of the industrial sounds that have invaded the sound waves of a city street---sirens, cars passing by, car doors shutting, etc., etc...the only sound that stuck out to me in your final piece, was the wind, pretty much because I recorded so much wind on my walk...
ReplyDeleteVeronica, I really enjoyed this blog post. Your writing together with the vivid clips, reminded me of a film soundtrack. (Especially the 'human' clip.) I got a real sense of place out of reading and listening together, nice work!
ReplyDeleteVeronica - I enjoyed your discussion about indentifying more with words than sound (that the interesting tidbit about silent dreams). I enjoyed the words you used to link and describe your sound clips. I also found you bird clip to be almost like one would find on a white noise sleep soundtrack. The sounds of human life are distinct and the interjections are a startling reminder of why we need breaks from all that sound.
ReplyDeleteHi Veronica, I love this eclectic soundtrack. The dog one was great, I like the wind added this ominous vibe, almost like thunder. And fun how the dog sounds came through in the Human clip! Speaking of which, I agree with Elline's comment about a film soundtrack, there's a genuine sense of place and being in the moment.
ReplyDeleteI'm fascinated by your comment about Exercise XXIV and wanting to attach a noise to an existing object. I haven't attempted that particular exercise, but your reflection has me thinking about how I truly perceive noise. I think I'm somewhat similar in frequently needing a visual or a word (as someone who's a visual learner especially).
Thank you!
Really admire how you were able to add 'links' to sounds and name them in a paragraph! Outstanding idea and so easy to 'link' it to your blog words!!!!
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