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Exercise 1 – Field Recordings / Sound Walk

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Exercise 1 – Field Recordings / Sound Walk

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I have this particular record from a short sound walk in Central Park on a late afternoon. My aim was to notice the shift between urban noise and natural sounds. This recording is about 54 seconds in length.

In the beginning, you can still hear the distant hum of cars from the main road.

However, as I went deeper into the park, the roadway noise was soon lost. The sounds of water and birdsong stretched out louder, and I was amazed at how they took over when the traffic sounds vanished.

This recording reminded me that we often overlook the quieter details of our environment. By focusing on sound, I realised how strongly noise can shape our sense of place and mood.

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Exercise 2 - Room Resonance (I am Sitting In A Room)

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Exercise 2 - Room Resonance (I am Sitting In A Room)

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In this exercise, I elected to capture the most uncomplicated operation: the sound of my fingers tapping on the table. However, rather than keeping it as a single event, I have decided to loop the recording and re-record it, blending with the ambient sounds of the room.

In 30 seconds, the room amplified certain tones and swallowed others. The initial body movements gradually transformed into shared vibrations between the body, objects, and the architecture.

"Room resonance" reminds me that buildings are never silent. The walls, floors and air all participate in the act of listening.

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Sound Ecology assignment work in progress—Initial Concept

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Sound Ecology assignment work in progress—Initial Concept

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For the assignment, I would begin with the daily traffic sounds in Sydney: sounds of the train, the open/close gate announcement, footsteps, and the air inside the train carriages. After that, gradually shifting to the coastal atmosphere, such as sounds of seagulls, the waves, and the wind. My work is intended to capture the dynamic transformation between enclosed, mechanical spaces and open, natural spaces. The hope is that the work can show how the sound environment, which is often disregarded in everyday life, has texture, tempo, and spatial layering. By structuring these recordings in a collage manner, it not only records a sense of place but stresses the distinction and continuity of the sound ecosystem as well.

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During the process of creating Assignment 1, I was inspired by a few sound artists. The first was Hildegard Westerkamp’s "Kits Beach Soundwalk" (1989), which touched me the most. She encouraged deep listening and awareness of subtle environmental changes. Her method reminded me that walking and listening can both become acts of composition.

Another was Luc Ferrari's composition, Presque Rien (1970). Through recording common environmental sounds, he created narrative sound compositions without instruments.

At the same tim, Marja Ahti's music, "Rooftop Gardens" (2019), demonstrated the blend of natural and mechanical noise that resulted in a singular beat and pace.

These references led me to focus on how sound can represent movement and transformation. Throughout my process of experiment, I experimented with layering and rhythm, trying to balance clarity and density. Early versions sounded too busy, so I simplified them. After the adjustment, I maintained a rhythm of footsteps and determined to record the sounds of high heels walking, using them as a guide through the city that also responded to Westerkamp's idea of “listening through presence.”

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My work is called City in Motion. The creation process of my work included multiple stages of field recording, editing, and re-structuring. I chose to record during the morning, noon, and evening, reflecting the changing pace of the city.

In editing, I tried layering and stereo panning to create the sense of depth and direction. In the beginning, the composition was messy with too many overlapping sounds, so I made it narrower by focusing on rhythm and flow. A pivotal moment occurred when I introduced the sound of high heels, which tied different spaces together and created a discernable human rhythm that gave the work a cohesive legible pattern

The last part converts the layered, noisy city sounds into fading instrumental releases. The concept is inspired by Cheryl Leonard’s Littoral (2023), where the natural sound shifts seamlessly to subtle harmonic tones. I wanted my composition’s ending to morph from overwhelming noise to tranquil tones, therefore reflecting how, in the end, the city melts away to peaceful contemplation.

I was inspired by Alexandra Spence, too, through her work the sea (2022), which listens to the sea both as a presence and a memory. Her sensitivity to subtle sonic changes helped me approach my own recordings with more patience and care.

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My work explores how the rhythm of urban life transforms across the span of a single day. The composition organizes a series of everyday sounds in order to uncover both the hidden structures and the underlying meanings embedded in the city environment.

The piece opens with recordings of birdsong and the sound of wind. These elements evoke the calm atmosphere of a city that has only just begun to awaken. Gradually, additional sounds are introduced: the arrival of trains, the beeping of ticket gates, and the steady rhythm of footsteps on the ground. The layers build slowly. At the midpoint, traffic, construction activities, and voices intermingle. Together they generate a dense and crowded soundscape that conveys the intensity of the city at its busiest hour. In the final section, the character of the noise changes. It dissolves into instrumental sounds that fade away, leaving the work to close with a musical and more poetic atmosphere.

Two specific aspects shape the distinct identity of this work. The first is the continuous sound of high heels, which acts as a narrative thread. It not only suggests the physical presence of a body moving through space but also symbolizes the passage of time. The second is the conclusion. Rather than ending in silence, the fading instruments transform noise into resonance and turn the ordinary into something musical.

Through this piece, I aim to demonstrate that everyday sounds are capable of narrating the stories of a city.

Finishing City in Motion has caused me to begin listening in a different way. I started paying attention to those daily patterns that I usually take for granted. Every footstep, car, and voice has their own rhythm that shows how the city lives.

During this assignment, I learned to look at it from the perspective of a sound artist, not just a recorder. I taught myself how to create along with the texture, rhythm, and transformation.

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My work investigates the role of the human body as a sound-producing entity.

Rather than playing instruments or programming synthesizers, I explore the many identities of objects, like paper, clothes, and plastic. The sounds derived from these items are the result of knocks, friction, and movements.

The artwork intends to prove noise is not disorder, but rather it is an expression of feelings or a physical phenomenon. In direct sensations, the body, the sound, and the emotion work as interlocking elements.

I found profound inspiration in Rie Nakajima's live performance at Ikon Gallery (2018), where she transforms small items from everyday life with mechanical movements into fragile, evanescent sounds.

Her angle led me to appreciate the idea of generating sounds that may stem from simple activities and objects, rather than from approaches or systems of sound that are already defined.

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Firstly, I recorded internal body sounds: heartbeat and breathing; unfortunately, they were almost inaudible and unclear.

This "failure" helped me realize that I could instead express inner rhythm and emotion through external materials that respond to my body’s movement.

I tinkered with various materials:

Crumpling paper created soft rhythmic textures.

Rubbing cloth produced warm, intimate friction.

Shaking plastic film generated sharp, high-frequency noise.

Tapping metal foil added crisp and metallic tones.

These experiments shaped my live performance structure, where I gradually build intensity from quiet gestures to louder, chaotic noise.

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To contribute to the performance, I created a background soundscape of 3 minutes that depicts psychological “internal noise.”

The following sounds were recorded and mixed:

Air movement and room ambience — calm and space.

Electrical hum and digital interference — tension and mental pressure.

Three phases — Calm — Noise — Dissolve — were structured to reflect an emotional path of the performance.

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1. Air Movement and Room Ambience — Calm and Space
This sound layer was recorded by capturing airflow and the quiet resonance of empty spaces.
I opened a window and placed light materials like paper nearby, letting the wind move them naturally.
Another recording was made in an empty classroom, where subtle echoes and low ambient hums created a soft, immersive space.

2. Electrical Hum and Digital Interference — Tension and Mental Pressure
This layer was recorded from electronic devices and power sources such as laptop chargers, lamps, and monitors.
The low hum of electricity and the unstable “crackling” of interference were captured by moving the microphone close to these objects.
I also created short glitch sounds by plugging and unplugging earphones or moving the mic near a Bluetooth speaker.

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The project taught me that sound art can exist beyond instruments and technology—it can emerge directly from the body and the simplest materials.
The process made me more sensitive to subtle acoustic changes and more aware of how movement and touch can shape sonic emotion.
In a way, noise becomes a physical language of emotion—a conversation between body and space.

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The performance unfolds in three sections, each lasting about 1 minutes:

1. Calm — gentle movements with paper and fabric; subtle textures.

2. Noise — more active gestures; using plastic and metal for louder, chaotic layers.

3. Dissolve — returning to quiet, soft friction, and breathing-like sounds.

The audience will witness the transformation of everyday gestures into sound, exploring how touch becomes noise.

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Rie Nakajima — Live at Ikon Gallery (2018)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1f6vbThPO2w

Samson Young — Nocturne (2015)
For the idea of translating invisible or psychological sound into artistic form.
https://www.thismusicisfalse.com/#/nocturne/

Anne-F Jacques — Live in Vancouver (2016)
Her use of everyday materials and textured noise influenced my tactile sound approach.
https://vimeo.com/200082976