What I hear

Preface, coming from Washington state the sound was one of the first things that defined New York city to me. My first several months in New York gave me such paranoia, the constant influx of sounds felt like a stalker, never quite letting you have freedom from the chaos. I hate the sound of NY, so this assignment put a sense of anxiety into me. I’m always trying to drown out the sounds with headphones, and now I’m being asked to focus on it for an hour.

I sat down in Carl Schurz Park, secluded enough to not be dominated by the never endless construction or I might go insane. Immediately the rustling of the leaves above me brought a calming sensation to the park. Just subtle enough to be heard over the surrounding kids on the jungle gym behind me. Although I wasn't facing it you could hear the chatter between kids, the occasional scream. The collective of kids is large enough, the ear struggles to pick out an individual from the crowd, it compiles into a single mob. I listen in closer, try to hear past just their voices. I began to pick up on minute details, the clang of the metal as they climb over it or the screeching noise when they slide down the poles or slide. The harmonic rhythm to the swings, swaying back and forth. Easily the sounds of the jungle gym defined the soundmark for me. Those sounds of the jungle gym are just as mentally tied to the visual representation of the image.

Beyond the sounds of the playset, there was also the sounds of people walking their dogs to and from the dog park. You can hear the panting of the dogs and the clang of their dog-tag as they walk past. The footsteps are unique on the tile stone path, I could tell apart someone running or a businessman by the harder sole of the shoe hitting the stone. I guess the fact that businessmen seem to always be bluetoothed in and talking outloud is also a dead give away. Runners on the other hand are made more distinct by the cadence of their steps, and the heavier breathing as they jog by.

These are the sounds that I picked up on during my soundwalk. It was an interesting adventure, because usually I intentionally try to not hear the sounds, yet today I noticed more than I have ever in that park.