Nadine Schütz
So far during this module, the landscape has appeared to be a key principle that has drawn me to certain conclusions or experiments. With my background being very much sound-based, I found myself discovering that landscape and sound have a connection that I had previously ignored. One clue that should have given this away earlier is the relation between sound and space. In the contemporary urbanized, human developed world, it becomes impossible and irresponsible to not concede some of that space to man-made architecture. Could architecture be that which connects, and maintains, the link between man and nature?
In 'Arayashiki', Nadine Schütz has combined the arthropodal ringing of cicada, the sounds of dripping, slowly running water, and soft - mallet struct? - bells and gongs, inside of a multi-faceted cove. The title itself 'Arayashiki' refers to the eighth level of consciousness according to Buddhist Hossō beliefs. It also has links to yoga - which explains the dancer's movements in the cove.
This installation - name, and performance - brings me to thoughts of digital landscapes. The cove (or cave) and its geometric structure are a conglomeration of the naturally-irregular and computational accuracy. This belongs in a calculated world. It could be a world within virtual reality - distorted, pixelated. The soundscape joins the imagery to describe the landscapes. It provides a location, an underlying dialogue that describes the space we are watching and the type of environment we are observing. As it stands, we are in some type of jungle grotto. The wildlife sounds are chosen to place us within the confines of a rainforest - Earth's oldest ecosystems. These 'outside' sound lower in volume as the image fades from black - giving the impression of physically entering the grotto. The human-made sounds (bells, gongs) are distrait from the gestures of the performer - bar a few times where the two appear to synchronize, adding depth to the performance\s. The soundless dancer could symbolize the disparity between man, the natural, organic world from where we've evolved, and the digital world we have entered.
As an architect, Nadine demonstrates the importance of sound in relation to architecture. I am drawn to the sonograms she created especially as a form of analysis - as they depict the frequencies that are present within a space. While the frequencies captured are dependant on the proximity of the microphone, alongside the quality and design purpose of the microphone, I understand that these sonograms intend to show a true, scientific, unobjectifiable account of the soundscape.
By providing these images of the planned Saint-Denis pedestrian crossing site in "wind, sun, and rain", overlayed with the sound of "elementary instruments", Schütz simulates the effects sonifying the environment in order to understand the impact of her creations.
Colonia del Valle
In response to Nadine's sonograms, I processed my own sonograms in the same style. Mine are recordings I had from living in Mexico, they were captured on a Zoom H5 in my apartment. I have also added the audio file in order to follow along with the sound to understand the different peaks and notches in the image.
I like the idea that 24 minutes has been frozen in time, almost scratched into the image. This is what Colonia del Valle sounded like a few years ago for 24 minutes.
In this recording, we get a bit of everything. We hear alarms, dogs barking, distant hammering, and the (hopefully) happy screeches of nearby children (and hopefully they are all coincidental). While we can't separate the constant hum of traffic (dense blackness at the bottom of the sonogram) we can look at where other sound objects operate within the spectrum. This method of analysis is how Schütz understands where on the frequency spectrum a design can operate.
Now that I'm looking at the sonogram, it might be dangerous to occupy certain frequencies. If I were to make a sound object to sonify a landscape or a new piece of architecture, how would I stop it from obstructing some important communicative sounds - such as police or ambulance sirens? Where do fire alarms sit on the spectrum? Could the distract a pedestrian enough to hurt themselves or others?
This is a recording I found of London. It was apparently recorded on a rooftop near Waterloo station. Here we can see where the majority of the police siren is heard - from 800Hz, up to nearly 4000Hz. If we look at Schütz's recordings, we can assess that the second image occupies *roughly* the same space as the police siren (if the frequency scale is the same). This is, of course, only one perspective and the real test occurs with our ears.