I chose Ferrington’s article because I could identify with it now, living in Milwaukee. I used to live in the country and next to a highway so I always heard cars. But when I moved here it was a different experience and the way Ferrigton said it in the start of his article I could identify it. I also noted that I could also hear a lot of nature sounds from high above, early in the morning, on a Sunday. That is why I chose this article.
The main points of this article is that even if you are in a city you can still hear a lot of nature sounds. Especially if you live high up. It is true that you can hear a lot more cars and traffic noises but if one really listens you can hear a lot more. I felt that that was the major point in his article that even if you live in a city you can hear a lot, if you just listen.
I feel that this is relevant because as an artist I need to listen to not only the obvious sounds, but also the subtle ones too. I also need to listen to the world around me and hear what it has to say. That is what I took away from this article.

Soundwalk one

Were you able to find places and spaces where you could really listen?

-Yes, I sat on the one of the bridges in Downer Woods.

Was it possible to move without making a sound?

-No it wasn’t. Every time I walked my jeans would rub up against each other or the sound of my own breathing would always make sound.

What happened when you plugged your ears, and then unplugged them?

-When my ears were plugged, I looked around and heard nothing but planes and cars, but when my ears were unplugged I heard a lot of sounds from natural ones, to man made ones and I heard them all around me.


In your sound log exercise, what types of sounds were you able to hear? List them.

-Birds cherpping musically
-Annoying loud Birds
-There were cars driving by from in back of me to in front.
-A Loud irritating and constant machine noise to my far left.
-A Plane went over my head from my left side to my right side.
-The sounds of wind blowing threw the trees behind me.


Were you able to differentiate between sounds that had a recognizable source and those sounds you could not place?

-Yes and there were very few sounds that I could not place.

Human sounds? Mechanical sounds? Natural sounds?

-Cars were the human sounds. A saw and airplane were machine sounds. And birds, and the wind blowing threw the trees were natural.

Were you able to detect subtleties in the ever present drone?

-No not really, they were all blended together.

Extremely close sounds? Sounds coming from very far away?

-The wind blowing threw the trees were close. The Machine sound was far away.
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)?

-Just the wind going threw the trees.

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 by knocking against a metal box.

Do you feel you have a new understanding or appreciation of the sounds of our contemporary landscape/cityscape?

-Yes, because not only do we have nature sounds and city sounds all in one area.

How do you think your soundwalk experience will affect your practice as a media artist, if at all?

-I think that it showed me how powerful sound can be and how it can affect one.