Field Recording #5

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Standing at the bus stop and looking at the cars, I talked to nobody. But cicadas woke up. They seemed to know I was boring with the sounds of engine. So they made the natural sounds.

I ended my soundwalk at the bus stop. It is not very unusual to walk through a park in a sunny day. Kids play balls. Families go to picnic. Fishing and riding...... But with my head phone and microphones, I could hear natural, human and mechanical sounds in a different way and notice the combination. It is a special experience and exploration of city life. After I took off my head phone, the sounds echoed softly in my ears. It seemed that my ears was celebrating this attempt of listening.

Field Recording #4

Sounds of hitting the railings

I chose a different path when I went back. Then I found a bridge over a gap near the entrance of the park. I tried to talk to the bridge by hitting the railings with a branch. I stayed for quite a few minutes, and nobody interrupted our conversation.

Field Recording #3

Sounds of stones falling into the river

I tried to discover other natural sounds when I walked along the river. But I couldn't find much. Sometimes the squirrels crossed the road in front of me. That didn't make too much sound. Several people walked towards me but they didn't talk in a very high volume. A lady was walking the dog, even the dog was very quiet. So I decided to make some interactions with river. Luckily, I could find some stones and I threw them into the water. Click here. That is not bad to make some music!

Field Recording #2

Sound of stream

Then I was curious that if I could singled out the sound of a stream using my ears and head phone just in a loud waterfall sound. So glad I made it. Try to imagine my feeling. I walked for a long time in a sunny day and was very hot. Then I saw a little waterfall and stood in the river water to record the sound. It was cool......

Field Recording #1

Sounds of waterfall

Although it was a very small waterfall and it was not rainning that day. In this quiet park, its sounds was still pretty loud so that I could hear it and find the location from another road. In a sunny day at a park, this sound must be the loudest natural sound in this area.Click to listen.

Drift Strategy #1

Estabrook Park is a park along the Milwaukee River in Milwaukee. My strategy is that once I walk into the entrance of the park, I would choose a path which is the closest to the river water. And the path is walkable for me. As my Drift_1 map shows, the green line is my path of searching for the sounds. Its end is almost another side of Estabrook Park. When I walked back, I chose the red line. Its end is the bus stop in the entrance of park. I will introduce my strategy and Soundwalk paths a little bit more using some nice pictures below.

After I entered the park, I saw a road for bicycles and pedestrians soon.



Following that road, I could see the river in a location not far from the entrance, but couldn't get closer to the water.



Keep walking. Then it was so close. But don't jump into the water to record.



On the other side of the road in the park, birds were enjoyed themselves, I wished I could hear the swimming sound. But it was so quiet in this little pool.



Working very hard to find the closest location to record the sounds of water, I finally heard it clearly and saw a waterfall.



Let's get down to have some fun.





I passed by the waterfall and walked through a road in woods. The upstream of the stream was quiet. But water is not clean...... I turned back towards the entrance of the park.



Please follow me to drift_1 field recording 1~5 and hear the sounds in the park.

Drift Map #1

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This is my Drift_1 map. I went to Estabrook Park, Milwaukee. The yellow shadow covers the area that I did my Soundwalk. The green arrow is where I started walking. Other marks are the locations where I recorded the sounds.