We walked mostly on campus, so it was somewhat difficult to find a place without people talking. However we did find some good places, in the parking structure, or right out side of it where we could hear quite a variety of different sounds.
2) Was it possible to move without making a sound?
I was unable to move without making any sound, you could be very quiet and maybe you couldn't hear it because of other sounds. But I'm sure it made sound, that a mic could easily pick up.
3) What happened when you plugged your ears, and then unplugged them?
Everything was almost silent except for bass vibrations you could feel, especially the sounds of cars. But all the ambient noise of trees, and the wind became silent. It was like the scene in P.t. Anderson's There Will Be Blood, when Plainview's son looses his hearing. All you hear is bass.
4) In your sound log exercise, what types of sounds were you able to hear?
Stones under people's shoes, Sneaker's sliding on pavement, zippers & buttons hitting the laundry machines. leaves crunching and blowing in the wind, air vents, the different noises that bikes and skateboards make when they hit the cracks on the pavement at different pitches, Airplanes, people passing listening to iPods, different car noises, and the noise of there tires on pavement, or gravel, books falling into the trash and pages slapping together, busses breaking, and their engines, lights humming, and sirens.
5) Were you able to differentiate between sounds that had a recognizable source and those sounds you could not place?
If I could see the sound I could usually hear it, although sometimes there was something obviously making a familiar noise but I could not hear it. But when we were near the basketball and tennis courts, I thought the noise of people's shoes were coming from the basketball game, but really it was the tennis players that I could not see at the time.
6) Human sounds? Mechanical sounds? Natural sounds?
I heard human, mechanical, and natural sounds almost all evenly especially when we were near the union. Because you have the vents, people, trees and wind.
7) Were you able to detect subtleties in the everpresent drone?
Yes, especially when we sat down or stood in one spot, once you really try hard you can hear many things you never even think of, like the humming of lights in the parking structure.
8) Extremely close sounds? Sounds coming from very far away?
We could hear the planes, and crickets, etc... from very far away. But we also could hear the subtle noises that the people around us make even as they were writing silently.
9) What kinds of wind effects were you able to detect?
The wind going through the trees, or spinning between the sandburg dorm buildings. Or just blowing the grass and leaves at our feet.
10) Where you able to create your own sounds?
I tried not to, but when I would write I could hear it, and I could hear other people when they did the same. Also when I light my cig I could hear the tobacco crackle and burn which is something I've never heard before except for in movies, I think its a very interesting sound.
11) Do you feel you have a new understanding or appreciation of the sounds of our contemporary cityscape?
Yes, even just walking around sometimes or sitting there you can close your eyes and appreciate the sounds around you much more. Plus I feel that if I continue to do this on a regular bases I would easily be able to tell the difference between subtle sounds easily, or recognize things just by the sound. Like how blind people's sense of hearing becomes more acute.
12) How do you think your soundwalk experience will affect your practice as a media artist, if at all?
I feel that I would be much more concerned about the element of sound in my films, than I was prior to this. Also I really wanna plug my ears and just look at what I think is making noise and then mic that without listening to it, till i get back and need to edit it.
