Drift One Blog Running!

The first post of my new blog is up! This blog will highlight in detail the findings of my first drift, which I took around my hometown of Burlington, WI. The blog will contain maps, photos, witty banter, and maybe even some audio samples. You should head over there and check it out if you get a chance.

Derive 1

Article Response

The article I chose to respond to was Guy Debord’s “Theory of the Derive.” I chose to respond to this piece because of the way I believe it is tied to the fundamentals of Soundwalking and the experiments we perform in class. This article is a good foundation for anyone seeing to understand what I hope to accomplish in my Drifting and what I have already learned from that experience
The main focus of this essay is an answer to the question of what the Derive is, and more importantly what it isn’t. The first point Debord makes is to explain the concept of psychogeography. Psychogeography is the methodology used in civil engineering to subconsciously direct the attention and movement of people as a whole. This is most noticeable in the example of a supermarket, where the obvious flow human traffic weaves up and down aisles until it reaches the regimented exit. The second part of Debord’s essay clarifies what Derive is not; pulling the element of chance from the situation. He discusses how chance is subject to psychogeography and therefore a leisurely stroll accomplishes nothing in breaking down those civil walls. Also, with chance as a motive the spirit of Derive is easily lost. Of this, he cites the “famous aimless wandering” of 1923 in which 4 surrealists began wandering only to end in the countryside, with no novelty left to catch their eye.
The outline of Derive given by Debord is necessary in the development of the Soundwalk. It is only through understanding the fundamentals of psychogeography that we can hope to overcome them and find the truly unique soundscape that dwells in front of us. In this respect Debord is essential to progress a true Sound innovator in the ways I hope to achieve.

The First Steps.

My first attempt at aurally redefining the environment around me was a definite success. I went for a “soundwalk” that culminated in quiet meditation in the middle of the Downer Woods. It was a new and enlightening experience. The relative silence of the forest compared to the constant noise of the city provided a shelter for both my ears and my mind and allowed me the repose necessary to truly open up to something new. I noticed first of all on my walk the sounds of my own person as I moved, particularly the different sounds my made against the various surfaces I walked upon. The dragging-slap of gravel; the harsh thwak of concrete; the softer thud of asphalt; even the hollow echo of the wooden footbridge. As I reached the spot where I chose to pause--A small rock on the bank of a dried up creek, probably only alive in the spring--I stopped my ears with my hands and just meditated visually on the landscape. The tranquility of the forest was awe-inspiring, but as the silence sunk in slowly the missing elements permeated my observations and left me feeling eerily out of synch with the world I was visually a part of. The blind world, on the other hand, had a more immediate sense of loss, but a less vital one. The things I could no longer see were evident to me, but not important. I felt a soundscape that not only was complete but was fleshing itself out with every passing sound.
To list a few: -The wind as it slowly brushed past leaves above me. -A large gust of wind bullying its way through whole trees from time to time -A lone door creak slowly in the distance to the right of me -The buzz of a fly as it hovered in and out at the left side of my face. Its initial approach was slow and deliberate and on discovering me it wavered slowly by my left ear. -The almost harmonic drone of traffic, starting almost unrecognizably slow and building to the dull roar of a automobile. -The frantic communiqué of two birds across the distance of the forest. Penetrating and trilling. -The canvassing sound of a jet as it passed overhead, and the subtle whine of its engine piercing the din. -The arhythmic squeak of tennis shoes against the surface of both tennis and basketball courts. Sometimes singular, often forming intricate patterns in succession. In all the sounds I heard, my first impression was a blank non-understanding. Every sound seemed strange and new at first and it was seconds after hearing the sound that I was able to place it in my map of the world. The sounds that were obvious to me were the ones I was physically responsible for. The soundscape so minutely present was a fresh experience, and in the days following I have often paused to absorb the qualities of a new aural atmosphere, when I find myself somewhere visually new. This new project in the exploration of sound seems to be one I will not only thoroughly enjoy, but also one that will influence my interpretation of the world around me.

First Post

Hey crazy cats! This is the blog in which I will post all of the research I make as I study the flexibility and permeation of media, especially sound; and most specifically how it is understood and the aspects of it that are unappreciated.

To accomplish this I will be going on calculatedly random walks throughout the city and recording, both graphically and aurally, the parts of the soundscape that so often escape notice. Or even more interestingly, the parts that were designed to be illusive*. Think of it as Audio-Civil Unengineering. That's what I tell my parents I'm doing anyway...


* This misspelling was unintentional, but I think I like the concept of illusory sound almost more than that of elusory sound. Now if only I can work in allusory sound I think I'll have my homophones covered.