Hasan Erdal - Sound Walk

I live in a small secluded town on Long Island, I've never really given much thought to the sounds that encompass my quiet, sleepy little town. Last night at the late hour of 10:00 PM, I snuck into the park near my house (which closes at 9:00). Before arriving at the park I had a short three block walk down mostly empty streets. I closed my eyes and listened to the sounds around me and was shocked by just how much I normally missed. There was the sharp crackling howl of Autumn wind as it barraged the tree lined block. I heard the branches shift and sway with each new gust of wind. The dried leaves crackled as they were shaken from the branches. I heard my feet, step after step hitting the concrete sidewalk and echo against the adjacent houses. I heard the stoplight at the corner click as it changed from red to green. There was the siren song of a lonely cat crying into the night. Each shriek from it getting louder and louder as I moved closer to it. There was a lonely car whose tires squealed as it raced up the hill. The engine's roar faded as it moved away from me. There was music coming from the house on the corner, sounds of laughter and unintelligible conversation going on in the background. There is always something to hear, but I never take the time to notice it. I usually walk with my headphones on and dismiss what is around me, this experience however, has taught me to once again listen to the sounds of my environment.

Define A Space - Tomb of Unknown Hunter

Tomb of Unknown Hunter - Roberto Moreno

Assignment 2: Interview with Jenna - Day 1 of Hunter

Here's the link if the widget doesn't work. 

Sound "Walk"

For the "sound walk" assignment, I decided to something that was astray from the assignment requirements.  Instead of the hour long walk, I decided to be stationary, as opposed to walking around.  I felt that this would allow myself to pay close attention to listening for sounds.  This take of the assignment was inspired by an interview with composer John Cage, whose infamous piece, 4'33", which is four minutes and thirty-three seconds of performer(s) sitting in silence, forcing listeners to listen or search for sounds from the performance area or outside of it.   For my walk, I gave myself a time duration of roughly seven minutes to list all of the unique sounds outside of Hunter College.  From the activity I learned that, if I took the time to "clear my ears," I would open up my ears to a different world.  Here are the notes I took: Setting/Time: Hunter College/Friday Afternoon/ Around noon - a multitude of dried and dead leaves rustling on the rough concrete - screeching of brakes, mixed in with loud and angry horns from cars - a distant hum which seems to be a mixture of all of the distant noises in the city - people nearby are conversing, some conversations are happy, sad, and serious, based on the tones of the persons speaking - a siren from an emergency vehicle pierces through the humming of the city. - rumbling of trashcans on wheels - dragging of boots and dustpans accompanying the rumbling wheels - loud hums of buses alternate from loud to quiet as they accelerate and decelerate  - brooms brushing against the concrete surface clashing with the dried up leaves - the screeching of a table saw can be heard as it is cutting through a material - a drill, chugging, as it tries to hack through concrete, sounds like its about a block away - swift footsteps with heels of shoes scraping the floor as students make their way into Hunter College - pigeons flapping their wings.     

Sound Walk through Chinatown - Alexandra David

Chinatown is possibly one of the most busiest neighborhoods in Manhattan. Even with your eyes closed you could recognize the neighborhood with the rumble of hundreds of car engines streaming down canal street, the distant humming of chinese folk music trailing out of the grocery stores and tea shops, or the lively buzz of asian pop music that could be heard from the bubble tea cafes. There is a lot of shouting voices near the open fruit and fish markets, the sounds of sharp knives chopping off fish heads and tails, the crinkle of plastic bags as ginger, fruits or nuts are placed inside them and put on a scale. The exhaust of old engines wheezing over the bartering voices trying to cut a deal on circle scarves. By the park one could hear the nasally voices of the grouped old ladies gossip excitedly about their day to day adventures, the sound of an erhu's whining melody in the background, squirrels chattering and scampering up the tree, and children's shouts and laughter as they substitute a basketball for a soccer ball in the field. It's noisy, yet each sound is very distinct in it's own way, like a river of colors, yet each stroke is a distinct hue itself. The only sound that is drowned out is the gust of cold wind that kept blowing in our faces, yet it could still be heard by the gentle rustling of branches overhead. -by Alexandra David

Soundwalk

The travel from my house in Ridgewood, Queens to Hunter is an hour train ride. Its different every time. The noises in the commute is always different. Trains are always packed and that comes with a whole bunch of sounds. From babies crying, to people who play their music too loudly. Walking the streets of Manhattan comes with a whole symphony of sounds too. From the train sounds underground to car horns honking, to the constant moving of people and their conversations. New York City truly is the city that never sleeps, I have class that ends that 9 at night and I still hear the same sounds that I would hear if I came to school at 1 in the afternoon.

Spooky Soundwalk

I took a walk through West Soho/Husdon Square on Halloween night. It was leaving my office, which is 7 or 8 blocks from the F station, and headed through the crowds. This neighborhood is pretty new to me, as I just began working there this month. It was Hallow's eve, which made this new neighborhood even newer to me. Hudson Square is usually reserved for the professional types; the start-up techies, the real estate agents, the fashion designers, etc. But tonight, all the was transformed. There were cop cars everywhere, their engines running as they huddled in circles and talked game plans. It was just 4:30 pm, and the parade was a few hours away, but there was clearly a feeling (and sound) of unease. There were little kids yelling "trick-or-treat," followed by oogling moms and dads admiring their adorable off-spring.
 Despite all this, this was an erry absence the general traffic's sound that I am so accustomed to hearing, no taxi honks, and no screechy breaks.