Assignment 2 - Soundmap

 Assignment 2 - Soundmap

Law Vanessa Lok Tung 

3035825095 

 

I went to Lung Fu Shan and Wu Tip Shan on 12^th and 13^th October respectively to develop my soundmap. I chose these sites because they are close to my daily lives. I want to discover sounds in the nearby natural settings that I often neglect. Lung Fu Shan is located next to the University of Hong Kong, while Wu Tip Shan is located in Fanling, which is only just 10min walk from my home. Besides, I documented some interesting sound clips near my home in day and night. Below are the sound clips that were recorded by my phone and Sony PCM-D50 recorder with binaural mic. Enjoy!

 

1. Lung Fu Shan

Once I went up to Lung Fu Shan from the entrance in centennial campus at around 4pm, I was attracted by the rustling sound made by the dead foliage at the side of the hiking trail. The leaves made a crispy and crunchy sound in the wind. It sounds like splintering of glass or glass wind chime. After a short walk, I passed a metal bridge. The components of the bridge squeaked and frizzle. The vibration of the bridge made this sound last for around 5s after I walked over. I found the sound interesting as we seldom heard. During the hiking, I saw some construction sites along the hiking trail. Therefore, most soundtracks contain engineering sound. Before it came to my ears, my first thought was that the construction noise would ruin the natural soundscape. I use the word “noise” here because I think this kind of sound would be annoying and overshadow the natural background. However, I found the sound was light, blending in with the surrounding environment. It had become an important composition of the environment, which represent human activity and cannot be neglected. I have also recognized the sound of flowing water in rivulet and the Belcher’s waterfall. Different velocities and depths of water flow produce different loudness and texture of sounds. In the soundtrack “Lung Fu Shan cicada and waterfall”, you may also notice sounds made by cicada, tree leaves and a very light dripping sound from rocks.

Vanessa Law · Lung Fu Shan Dead Foliage

Vanessa Law · Lung Fu Shan Metal Bridge

Vanessa Law · Lung Fu Shan birds

Vanessa Law · Lung Fu Shan birds and construction sound

Vanessa Law · Lung Fu Shan birds and construction sound 2

Vanessa Law · Lung Fu Shan cicada and waterfall

 

2. Wu Tip Shan

I went to Wu Tip Shan at around 11am. It was a sunny and windy day.  

The first soundtrack is “Wu Tip Shan hikers”, which document the habits of some hikers. There were two men playing old Cantonese old songs through a speaker. An old lady greeted other hikers. I recorded “Wu Tip Shan pavilion” in a pavilion in the middle of my trip. It included the sound of walking from hikers, the wind, the birds, insects and tree leaves. Another interesting sound that I found was in the bamboo forest. Bamboos collide with each other in the wind, which sounds like the combination of wooden wind chime and spin drums. You may find this sound at the beginning of “Wu Tip Shan bamboo 1” track. The wind also makes the rustling of leaves and the squeaking of the bamboo, adding new layers to the auditory experience. The squeaking sound of the bending bamboos may sound a bit creepy because the sound seems about to break. I had an immersive experience in the bamboo forest that has never been experienced before.

Vanessa Law · Wu Tip Shan hikers

Vanessa Law · Wu Tip Shan pavilion

Vanessa Law · Wu Tip Shan bamboo 1

Vanessa Law · Wu Tip Shan bamboo 2

 

3. Outside my home

In the early morning of 13^th October, before I went to school, I noticed a bee flying around flowers, so I immediately took out my phone recorder to record the buzzing sound. During the recording process, the bee kept switching locations. Therefore, I have to keep track of the bee while keeping a small movement small to avoid scaring it. Also, a woman walked by, pushing a trolley, making a lot of loud noise. You may also hear the birds whistling and construction sound in the background. At night of the same day, I document the sound outside of my house using my phone. There were dog barking and cicada singing. The cicada seems singing in rhyme.

Vanessa Law · Home birds and a bee

Vanessa Law · Home insects at night

 

It seems to me that water sound from the waterfall and bird singing sound are important elements to make the place more lively and vivid. The wind, water and the animals in the nature are representative to the specific place. Different properties of the sound enable us to experience the space through careful listening. For example, how birds and insects sound travel and penetrate the foliage, or how they bounce from concrete an produces echoes. Generally speaking, I found the experience rewarding, calm and enjoyable. I try recording the sound that is normally unrecognizable or I would run away (the bee buzzing). It was a great opportunity to discover the connectedness of different sound elements around us, be mindful and enhance the awareness in the surrounding environment.