I selected the article "The Art of Noises" by Luigi Russolo. Of all the articles to read, I found this one most relevant to the sound walks we are currently taking part in. I found this article interesting because of it taking something today we almost taking for granted, and gives it a history and a past. I like the idea stated about the evolution of sound, how it was look at as sacred, before the modern area has turned a precious sound into noise.

The article states several important facts about sound development. One of the most critical points is the complexity of sound increasing through the ages. It states how machines can give us new sounds, that we could not develop without using them. Previous era's before the 19th century are talked about as the silent era. The isn't just related to film, but to life. Back in that time the only thing that constantly made noise were living things like people and animals. Now with the development and technology of machines, electricity, and radio were can have become accustomed to constant noise which we have even learned to block out. Even nature used to be described as silent. The article says that despite natural diasters like earthquakes or storms, nature was peaceful and quiet. Now nature is full of the industrial world, all combining together to create a more complex sound, that could not be created without the updated technology in this era.

After reading the article I'm going to take this type of idea about noise versus sound on my drifts. I feel that I might try to stay away from machine made noises, and find sounds in nature. Original sounds that are overpowered by the loud banging noises that we commonly hear. I am going to attempt to avoid traffic, industries, and people, but instead look for the simple things in life that people in past era's truly appreciated. I think the coolest sounds I can find as the article states, will be sounds and not just noise.

Reflect on your experiences on the Soundwalk. Answer as many of the following questions as you can:

Were you able to find places and spaces where you could really listen?
Of course. I believe anywhere you are is a place to listen. Some places make you listen harder than others, but there is no place you can not truly listen if you focus.

Was it possible to move without making a sound?
No. Everything you do makes a sound. If you truly feel that your motions aren't causing a sound, (ex: pants swishing, stick under your foot) you can always listen for sounds like your stomach rumbling, swallowing, or simply the creaks and cracks of your bones.

What happened when you plugged your ears, and then unplugged them?
When my ears were plugged, it was obviously tough to hear anything going on around except extremely loud noises like buses which sounded like a hum. When my ears were plugged it was possible to hear my bodily functions such as swallowing, or just my hands moving on my ears. As I would unplug them the outside noises would seem to take a split second to be heard and seem extremely loud.
In your sound log exercise, what types of sounds were you able to hear? List them.

• Squirrel in woodchips
• Trees in breeze
• Car accelerates
• bus brakes squeal
• children laughing
• child coughing
• truck in reverse
• plane decending overhead
• Bike chains clicking
• machines on top of building
• footsteps of concrete
• paper rustle
• pen click
• girl on phone
• talking man and woman
• water drain clank

Were you able to differentiate between sounds that had a recognizable source and those sounds you could not place?
It was difficult to decide some of the unknown sounds origin. Mostly due to the fact that so many sounds are all around us, we don't realize where some are even coming from. The toughest sounds were coming from tops of buildings that you couldn't see exactly what you would hearing.

Human sounds? Mechanical sounds? Natural sounds?
Of the three I believe that mechanical sounds are the toughest to distinguish. Most human and natural sounds can be pinpointed, but machines can create so many different sounds that we just don't break down enough to identify.

Were you able to detect subtleties in the everpresent drone?
No. One of the hardest things to do when listening is not simple blocking out a constant sound. This is what made it difficult to realize the small sounds that make up the "constant drone".

Extremely close sounds? Sounds coming from very far away?
Our thinking our brains are almost programmed to know which direction sounds are coming from, and about the distant they are away from us. This helped out on the soundwalk.

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)?
I think the wind influence a constant sound we hear when it enters our ears. The wind is what seems to ruin silence. When indoors, the change is extremely dramatic of the noise level unless you are in a large crowded room.

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, we listened to a hand rail vibrate, and claps in the parking garage to get the idea of echoes. Other human sounds like talking, or opening a door were only possible due to human interaction.

Do you feel you have a new understanding or appreciation of the sounds of our contemporary landscape/cityscape?
Yes, after truly listening to everything going on, its seems almost as if true nature is a rarity. This soundwalk inspired me to do my drift project near the lake so the sounds of the city aren't so overwhelming.

How do you think your soundwalk experience will affect your practice as a media artist, if at all?
I think it has taught me to appreciate the complexity of our senses, and I will transfer these complexity to my visual art which I hope to use to become a succesful artist.