Make sure your answers to the following questions exist as self-contained statements.
1. Describe two situations that aggravated, bothered, shocked or otherwise stressed you during Drift 1. (Please note that the situation CANNOT be technology-related.)
2. Describe, with details, two situations during Drift 1 in which you felt unusually peaceful, at ease, or contemplative.
3. Describe three surprises or unexpected situations you encountered on your Drift and in the days that followed. The surprise could stem from your expectations that conflicted with "on the ground" realities, cultural or social issues of which you were previously unaware, feelings and reactions that you did not expect to have, appearances and soundings of things you did not expect, good or bad outcomes of "on the spot" decisions you had to make, or the discovery of "deeper" realities in the materials you brought home. (Again, skip anything technology-related!)
4. Describe your favorite experience, situation, place, or recollection from your Drift. Be specific about what happened, how you felt, how you reacted, and why you think this particular experience affected you so much.
After writing and reflecting upon your assessment answers, come up with ten questions that best address the aspects of your Drift process you are most interested in pursuing further in Drift 2.
These questions must be related directly to your experiences walking the specific landscapes of your Drift 1, and should be specifically worded enough to generate possible strategies and solutions for executing Drift 2. Note that you will not be ANSWERING these questions right away. They will serve as inspiration for areas to explore on Drift 2.
Here are some examples:
You may want to copy and paste the Drift Assessment questions into a Word or TextEdit/Notepad document, and then copy/paste into the comment field when you are done. Publish as a comment (click on the "comments" or "Post a Comment" link below).1. Are there any back roads that lead to something interesting?
2. Is there a house that has a very unique and interesting architecture?
3. Are there any places where sound takes on a strange quality?
4. Where can I find the strangest sight within my Drift area?
5. What differences are there on Lake Michigan between night and day?
6. Are there any places where one can make a complete 180 degree turn and only see nature?
7. Are there any buildings that will give me access to a high and panoramic view?
8. Is there some kind of elaborate garden in the area?
9. Are there any kind of monuments in the area?
10. Are there any bodies of water (other than Lake Michigan) in the area?
55 comments:
1. Describe two situations that aggravated, bothered, shocked or otherwise stressed you during Drift 1. (Please note that the situation CANNOT be technology-related.) The two situations that aggravated me and bothered me was first the weather. This bothered me because it was cold and I didn’t want to be outside for very long because my fingers would freeze and it made it very hard to be patient and record sounds. It was also windy and you could hear the wind in some of my recordings, which I didn’t like. The second situation that bothered me was all the traffic noise. Where ever I went there was always cars driving past, which made it very hard to get a clear recording.
2. Describe, with details, two situations during Drift 1 in which you felt unusually peaceful, at ease, or contemplative. One situation in which I felt peaceful was when I was in an alley away from all the traffic and people, recording water running into a sewer. Listening to only the water running with out the traffic noise was very soothing. The second situation where I felt at ease was when I was standing outside a house recording a person playing the piano from inside the house. I felt at ease because the melody the piano was playing was very beautiful and it put me at ease. It was also my best recording.
3. Describe three surprises or unexpected situations you encountered on your Drift and in the days that followed. The surprise could stem from your expectations that conflicted with "on the ground" realities, cultural or social issues of which you were previously unaware, feelings and reactions that you did not expect to have, appearances and soundings of things you did not expect, good or bad outcomes of "on the spot" decisions you had to make, or the discovery of "deeper" realities in the materials you brought home. (Again, skip anything technology-related!) One thing I didn’t expect to have a problem with when recording was all the traffic noise. I never realized how much traffic noise there is all the time. The traffic noise made it really challenging to get a clear recording. Something that I was surprised by was how much I could hear with my headphones. While having my headphones on during my Soundwalk I was able to hear someone practicing the piano and guitar within their house a block away! The only reason I even discovered this was because I had my headphones on. If it wasn’t for my headphones I would have never heard the piano playing from such a far distance. The last thing that I was surprised by was just how many sounds I had captured within one recording. When I recorded I didn’t even hear half the sounds that I had captured, but when I was reviewing my recordings I was able to hear all the sounds I couldn’t before. It really surprised me to hear the sounds that I didn’t hear on my Soundwalk.
4. Describe your favorite experience, situation, place, or recollection from your Drift. Be specific about what happened, how you felt, how you reacted, and why you think this particular experience affected you so much. My most favorite place on my soundwalk was when I was standing outside a house recording someone playing a piano from inside. I was surprised that I could record such a clear sound from outside a house. It was just so amazing to be able to hear the sound so clearly with my headphones but when I took off my headphones, I was surprised because I could barely hear anything. While I stood outside the house I listened to the beautiful piano playing and it really soothed me. Along with the piano playing I could hear water running from the melted snow. The combination of the beautiful piano playing and the water running was so relaxing. It took me away from the cold that I stood in and it put me at peace and complete relaxation. Overall it was just a beautiful experience, it ended up being my best recording.
10 Questions:
1. Are there any places with reflections or that reflect?
2. Are there any unique architectural buildings?
3. Are there any interesting Alleys?
4. Are there any patterns or designs on the ground?
5. Are there any city lights?
6. Are there any places where I can get an overview of the area?
7. What are the differences in how the city looks between day and night?
8. Are there any strange natural formations?
9. Are there sounds that draw me to a location?
10. Are there any formations that look like an animal or person?
1. Describe two situations that aggravated, bothered, shocked or otherwise stressed you during Drift 1. (Please note that the situation CANNOT be technology-related.)
One situation that bothered me a lot during my Drift 1 was how windy it was when I went on my walk. I did get some good recordings with not too much wind, but finding a period of time that wasn't windy took a while and was aggravating. Another situation that bothered me was the crunching of footsteps on the snow that were very present in my recordings.
2. Describe, with details, two situations during Drift 1 in which you felt unusually peaceful, at ease, or contemplative.
One time that I felt very peaceful was when I was standing on the beach. I recorded with my eyes closed, so instead of watching and listening to what was around me I just heard the crash of the waves on the beach. I became very calm and just listened to the rhythm of the waves over and over again. Another moment that I felt very contemplative was while I was walking north along 4th Avenue. There wasn't anyone around and the sun was out, so it was a nice break from the wind. It was a very calm moment around me which in turn made me feel very at ease.
3. Describe three surprises or unexpected situations you encountered on your Drift and in the days that followed. The surprise could stem from your expectations that conflicted with "on the ground" realities, cultural or social issues of which you were previously unaware, feelings and reactions that you did not expect to have, appearances and soundings of things you did not expect, good or bad outcomes of "on the spot" decisions you had to make, or the discovery of "deeper" realities in the materials you brought home. (Again, skip anything technology-related!)
I was extremely surprised by audible the power of the geese. They seemed almost overwhelming in my recording, it seemed as if I was surrounded by them when I recorded when in reality I was 100 feet away from them. Another surprise I encountered on my walk was how fun it was. I was actually dreading going on my walk but I enjoyed going out into a place I hadn't been before and listening to everything that was happening around me. A third surprise was how fast my drift went. I actually spent a few hours outside, but it flew by.
4. Describe your favorite experience, situation, place, or recollection from your Drift. Be specific about what happened, how you felt, how you reacted, and why you think this particular experience affected you so much.
My favorite place from my Drift was when I was walking down 4th Avenue. It was the calmest part of my Drift, the sun was shining and no one was around. I felt extremely peaceful during this part of my Drift. I think this experience effected me so much because it was a time that I could really relax and listen to what was around me; the wind had died down and the sun warmed me up.
1. Are there any roads that I have not been down?
2. Is there any interesting natural formations around?
3. Is sound strangely modified in any location?
4. What is the strangest looking thing in the area?
5. Is there any way to gain a larger view of the area?
6. Are there any interesting plants in the area?
7. Is there a difference between day and night in the area?
8. Is there any elaborate architecture in the area?
9. Is there a place where nature seems confined in the area?
10. Are there any sculptural or monumental figures in the area?
1. Describe two situations that aggravated, bothered, shocked or otherwise stressed you during Drift 1. (Please note that the situation CANNOT be technology-related.)
One situation that aggravated me while doing Drift 1 was when I would hear an interesting sound and try to capture it, but in the process of getting ready the tone or the volume of the sound would change, altering the final product and ultimately sounding less interesting. I was also bothered by the wind. It created a constant drone on a majority of my recordings. If I wanted to capture a quiet noise I’d always have to factor in where the wind was coming from and how I could lessen its impact.
2. Describe, with details, two situations during Drift 1 in which you felt unusually peaceful, at ease, or contemplative.
At the beginning of my walk I was focused on the various settings of the recorder and how to hold the microphones, but as I continued on I began to notice that I had forgotten about the technology aspect and turned my ears on. I started to listen for unique noises and how they sounded once they were transported through my headphones. As a result of this I was in the zone and tuned into what was going on around me.
During my walk I came across a construction site and decided to record the noises coming from the heavy machines. At first I thought the sounds would be horrific and annoying, but as I began to listen I noticed they were strangely melodic. The sounds were still harsh, but they contained a rhythm that kind of put me in a trance for a little bit.
3. Describe three surprises or unexpected situations you encountered on your Drift and in the days that followed. The surprise could stem from your expectations that conflicted with "on the ground" realities, cultural or social issues of which you were previously unaware, feelings and reactions that you did not expect to have, appearances and soundings of things you did not expect, good or bad outcomes of "on the spot" decisions you had to make, or the discovery of "deeper" realities in the materials you brought home. (Again, skip anything technology-related!)
While along the lakefront I was surprised at how close I could get to some of the birds walking along with me. They were not startled by my presence, which allowed me to capture some interesting sounds.
At first I thought everyone was going to notice me walking around with headphones and microphones, but after awhile I began to see that no one was noticing me. This put me at ease and I was able to capture more interesting sounds.
When I did encounter people I was struck by the fact that so many were worried that they were being too noisy. A few individuals checked to see if they should be quieter, but I encouraged them to continue as usual.
4. Describe your favorite experience, situation, place, or recollection from your Drift. Be specific about what happened, how you felt, how you reacted, and why you think this particular experience affected you so much.
My favorite part of my Drift 1 walk was being along the lakefront and capturing the sounds of the beach. I am able to listen to those sounds whenever I want, which is nice. I really enjoyed being down by the water.
10 Questions:
1. Are there any areas with interesting shadows?
2. Where is the brightest spot on my block?
3. Is there any place that creates a unique echo?
4. Is there a place where large majorities of people sit?
5. What does North Avenue look like on a Friday night vs. a Sunday night?
6. Are there any hidden trails?
7. Are there any buildings that will give me access to a high and panoramic view?
8. Is there a garden filled with flowers yet?
9. How many churches in the area have bells?
10. Is there a place with interesting lights at night/during the day?
1)During drift one, the most aggravating thing for me was having to go out and walk around in the cold and even the rain. When its at or below freezing, one of the last things you want to do is go out and take recordings, especially when it’s raining. Secondly, there were many times where I wished I would have been able to make use of my iPod. Sitting, waiting for the right sound is not always the most fun time one could possibly have.
2) During drift 1, I found a new place to just relax and chill. The Cambridge Woods area is very peaceful and tranquil with the running water, birds chirping, and the wind blowing through the trees all made for a very peaceful experience and gave me time to just sit down and think about nothing.
3) The only thing that enters my head when I think surprise encounters is all of the trash. I never realized how dirty UWM students and student residents really are. When walking down a street right after the snow melts, you can pick out the houses that are owner occupied as opposed to the houses that students live in rather easily. I was bothered by the fact that people do so little to maintain the quality of life in the neighborhoods and area surrounding the university. The trash played a role in one of my recordings when a plastic bag was stuck in a tree next to the makeshift dam on the Milwaukee river. Needless to say, I threw the bag away after my recording.
4) As I stated in question 2, my favorite experience of the whole of drift 1 was exploring the Cambridge Woods area. Everything from the homes to the people to the river just seemed more peaceful and laid back. Hearing the wind whistle through the trees made me feel more at ease. Watching the water swiftly flow over the makeshift dam and seeing the fish jump allowed me to take my mind off all of the troubling events of that day. Being far enough away from society without being more than a 2 minute walk away is a weird thing to find in a large city like Milwaukee. I definitely plan on re-visiting this area in the future.
In drift 2, I would like to:
1)Explore the alleys of downtown.
2)Find and explore an abandoned building.
3)link nature noises to human interactivity
4)use the waves on lake Michigan in a photo
5)find a new sound
6)find a new vantage point
7)get below street height
8)find a great example of urban decay
9)find something that displays the sound of silence
10)display cultural aspects of Milwaukee
1. The thing that bothered me the most about Drift 1 was that the place where I chose to walk ended up being really boring. I picked it because of the train tracks hoping to capture the sound of a train, but that never panned out. Just cars, construction, more cars, and a few other things. I would've redone the whole thing if I'd had time.
I was also stressed by all of the things that I couldn't control. The wind was outrageous and caused a lot of noise on my recording. The traffic was relentless. I was sick, so it was hard for me to get a clip where you couldn't hear me sniffling in the background. Even my arbitrary method of choosing a direction was frustrating because it would force me to go one way when I knew there would be better sounds the other way. I don't like not being in control of my creative situations.
2. The first was right at the beginning, when I sat down by an intersection to record cars driving over the train tracks. It was the first sound that I had noticed. At that point I was really pleased with how things were going and had a really positive outlook for my project. I just sat and thought about how fun this was going be.
The second was after I had walked further down the track and sat down to listen for quite some time. I just kept watching the construction across the street and thinking about how it seemed oddly new and much of the land around it seemed fairly undeveloped. I was wondering what kind of impact the railroad has had on the development of the area.
3. I discovered something interesting about the construction that was happening across the street from where a had recorded some of my sounds. I later found out (through satellite photos on Google maps) that the land that was being built on used to be a farmer's field. It brings to mind many interesting issues surrounding the urbanization of our land.
Another interesting discovery was that my recordings were so devoid of natural sounds. Although there was a lot of brush and even some trees far off to the east, I only captured one animal sound and a few crickets. It's interesting to think that even though the environment seemed very rural, there probably would've been more natural sounds in an urban environment. I definitely expected the opposite to be true.
I was also surprised by how integral these train tracks seemed to be to the growth of the area. It's strange to think of rail travel as an important lifeline for a community these days but I suspect that it's influence is still much greater than we realize.
4. My favorite experience was recording the only animal sound that I managed to capture. I was about to walk away from the area when I heard it just faintly off to the side. I was so excited and walked towards it, sat down and tried to figure out what it was or where it was coming from. I never did figure out what kind of animal it was. This was so pleasing to me because it was totally unexpected and the only natural sound that I was able to capture. It gave me the expectation, though, that I would find similar sounds and I was disappointed when I did not.
1. Where could I go to find the most creature sounds?
2. Are there any hiking trails in the area?
3. How close was it to any still-operational farms?
4. Is there any natural running water in the area?
5. Are there any areas close by where humans tend to walk or congregate?
6. Where could I walk to make the best sounds with my own footsteps?
7. Is there any interesting graffiti in the area?
8. Are there any places where light and shadow create interesting shapes or effects?
9. Are there any places where I can find subtle evidence of recent human or animal activity?
10. Are there any buildings nearby which create an interesting narrative about the past, present, and future of the area?
1. Describe two situations that aggravated, bothered, shocked or otherwise stressed you during Drift 1. (Please note that the situation CANNOT be technology-related.)
The first situation that bothered me was finding a descent day to go and record the sounds. It seemed like whenever there was a 'nicer' day I was working. I ended up doing my sound recording when it was freezing out, because I gave up on waiting for a nice day. The second thing was I had a very hard time being just patient and waiting to hear the sounds, I always want to keep on walking.
2. Describe, with details, two situations during Drift 1 in which you felt unusually peaceful, at ease, or contemplative.
I felt very peaceful during my whole drift 1. I think the result of this is based on the location I went to. Since I went to the UW-Madison Arboretum this is a very calm and peaceful place.
3. Describe three surprises or unexpected situations you encountered on your Drift and in the days that followed. The surprise could stem from your expectations that conflicted with "on the ground" realities, cultural or social issues of which you were previously unaware, feelings and reactions that you did not expect to have, appearances and soundings of things you did not expect, good or bad outcomes of "on the spot" decisions you had to make, or the discovery of "deeper" realities in the materials you brought home. (Again, skip anything technology-related!)
When I went out for my Drift 1 I was thinking that a huge ice storm had just happen a couple days prior to. So on all the hiking paths around the UW-Arboretum were very slippery. I had quite a challenge walking around to find different sounds, almost falling about a dozen times. So my challenge was staying on my feet and not falling, which would have resulted in breaking quite a bit of equipment, since I brought my digital SLR with me too.
4. Describe your favorite experience, situation, place, or recollection from your Drift. Be specific about what happened, how you felt, how you reacted, and why you think this particular experience affected you so much.
I enjoyed when I had managed to work my through a forestry area to only come upon a golf course. I then realized I was the only person on the golf course. It was kind of a cool feeling to know that it was just me and nature. The arboretum wasn't very busy that day so I kind of felt very close to nature, as cheesy as that sounds. It was very good experience for me to clear my mind.
10 Questions
1. Since I'm changing my area, how will this change my sounds?
2. How many sounds will I be able to capture with no children around?
3. Where can I find positive sounds?
4. Where can I find negative sounds?
5. How does this camp map differ from the one I'm trying to follow?
6. What kind of images will I try to capture?
7. Do I want my 'story' to be about camp, or about something completely different.
8. How eerie will it be to be at a deserted camp? (ghost town?)
9. Do I want to do my recordings only in the day, only in the night, or both?
10. How will the sounds differ from where the bunks are, to where the lake is?
1. Describe two situations that aggravated, bothered, shocked or otherwise stressed you during Drift 1. (Please note that the situation CANNOT be technology-related.)
The two situations that bothered me were the wind, because it never failed, as soon as I started recording something interesting the wind would blow directly at me. And people who thought I was listening to music or something and would try to scare me because they thought it would be funny. This happened twice and also a homeless woman asked me for some money. I felt really bad because I didnt have any.
2. Describe, with details, two situations during Drift 1 in which you felt unusually peaceful, at ease, or contemplative.
I felt extremely at ease recording the water sounds I heard of the melting snow into a sewer. Probably because I was thinking of the warm weather when all the snow would be gone. Also I felt really peaceful when I heard a bunch of children playing in a backyard. I love kids and hearing them having fun and running around made me really happy.
3. Describe three surprises or unexpected situations you encountered on your Drift and in the days that followed. The surprise could stem from your expectations that conflicted with "on the ground" realities, cultural or social issues of which you were previously unaware, feelings and reactions that you did not expect to have, appearances and soundings of things you did not expect, good or bad outcomes of "on the spot" decisions you had to make, or the discovery of "deeper" realities in the materials you brought home. (Again, skip anything technology-related!)
I was really surprised when I brought my recordings home and listened to them. There was so much background noise that I completely tuned out while walking. Another thing that surprised me was how people reacted to me. Some didnt even give me a second glance while others watched me walk all the way down the street. I could feel thier eyes on me as I passed. Another thing was the actual amount of footage I got on my walk. It was tough listening to everything all over again because I found some really interesting sounds I knew I wanted to use right away, but some of the others were burried amoung the rubbish.
4. Describe your favorite experience, situation, place, or recollection from your Drift. Be specific about what happened, how you felt, how you reacted, and why you think this particular experience affected you so much.
My favorite experience was recording the birds. I was standing really close to the tree and I could hear them calling back and forth to each other. It made me think of in the spring and summer when every morning I can hear birds out my bedroom window. I cant wait for spring and warm weather for finally arrive.
10 Questions
1. I wonder if there are any gardens around the area.
2. Are there any landmarks I could visit along the way?
3. Is there anywhere I could just sit and observe life around me without drawing attention to myself.
4. Is there any interesting architecture close by.
5. Are there many differences depending on the time of day?
6. Are there any back alleys or side streets that might be hiding something strange or interesting?
7. Is there anything along the way that isnt permanent or might be gone/changed the next time I pass by.
8. Is there anything that seems out of place compared to its surroundings?
9. Is there anywhere I can get an overhead view of the area?
10. Is there a particular place that is extremely busy/calm?
1. Describe two situations that aggravated, bothered, shocked or otherwise stressed you during Drift 1. (Please note that the situation CANNOT be technology-related.)
1. Within the first 15 minutes of my walk, I was standing outside someone’s house, waiting for the wind to blow again so I could capture the wind chimes hanging from the house. I stood there for about 2 or 3 minutes, and I heard some pounding. I’m pretty sure that was the homeowners way of telling me to get the heck out of there.
2. To go off of that story, it seemed as though everywhere I went I was getting all kinds of strange looks from people. “Is he looking for ghosts?” “Is that a bomb?” The facial expressions I saw from the passersby seemed to express those kinds of questions.
2. Describe, with details, two situations during Drift 1 in which you felt unusually peaceful, at ease, or contemplative.
1. I remember one situation where I was sitting on a bench in some park-type thing. There were trees, and the traffic was low. And I could hear the sounds of seagulls and other birds above my head. I found myself staring at these birds for a long time. It was a very nice moment.
2. Another moment that I remember was when I was sitting in Potbelly’s, enjoy at delicious sandwich (I thought I was recording, but it was just on pause). The atmosphere there is great, and it was cool to just be part of a scene, or the “orchestration of sound” there. There was just so much sound, coming from the most mundane things. Chewing. Glass drinking bottles on the table, chairs creaking or scraping against the floor. I was very disappointed to find that I did not end up recording this area.
3. Describe three surprises or unexpected situations you encountered on your Drift and in the days that followed. The surprise could stem from your expectations that conflicted with "on the ground" realities, cultural or social issues of which you were previously unaware, feelings and reactions that you did not expect to have, appearances and soundings of things you did not expect, good or bad outcomes of "on the spot" decisions you had to make, or the discovery of "deeper" realities in the materials you brought home. (Again, skip anything technology-related!)
1. Starting from when I was in high school, I offered a service to engaged couples to videotape their wedding day (none of the private stuff… ha) -From the wedding, to the reception, and the dancing. And then, I would spend time taking all of the footage I gathered, and would edit it together to make a nice, two disc, video that had a certain feel and tone to it (I would also add “their” songs for more atmosphere and more sentimental value). I found that that kind of experience was exactly the same as this. You go into the day now knowing what is going to happen, just trying to capture all the interesting happenings as you can. Well, one issue with that is that you don’t know what’s going to happen next, or what the surprises of the day will be. I would end up shooting tons of footage at these weddings that I never use. This experience was similar in that I felt I needed to just keep recording even when nothing was happened, just in case. Luckily, this led to one of my favorite recordings –I stuck my mics into a garbage can, and after about a minute, this car came up and slammed into a snow bank across the street. There’s really no way to plan for that, and I got lucky.
2. I did not think that busses were that flippin’ loud. Good lord! Just traffic in general is so constant. I guess we’re all just used to it, but this really made me take it into consideration.
3. I guess the third thing I discovered was that I never felt the urge to listen to music. I was constantly being… entertained…? I never got bored.
4. Describe your favorite experience, situation, place, or recollection from your Drift. Be specific about what happened, how you felt, how you reacted, and why you think this particular experience affected you so much.
My favorite experience would probably be the incident I mentioned earlier. I had placed my mics inside of this garbage can, when all of a sudden this car runs into a snow bank across the street, making for a very interesting sound clip. At first I was felt concerned; is the driver ok? Did they fall asleep? Then I felt embarrassed for them, and very empathetic, because it really could happen to anyone. Then, I ended up chuckling. This kind of event is a total and complete accident, and I had no idea when I went out that day that I’d be able to capture that kind of sound. Happy accidents make the world go ‘round!
TEN QUESTIONS
1. What will the ratio be between photos and video? Just photos?
2. Do I want to go on a walk entirely outside?
3. Should I do music or images first?
4. Am I comfortable dealing with reactions from strangers while taking pictures?
5. What do I love/hate about the city?
6. What time of day do I want to venture out?
7. What will the ratio between nature and city stuff?
8. Do I want to cover a lot of ground, or search within a smaller area?
9. What buildings can I go in with a camera?
10. Quantity or quality?
1. Describe two situations that aggravated, bothered, shocked or otherwise stressed you during Drift 1. (Please note that the situation CANNOT be technology-related.)
The weather is an obvious situation that aggravated me. I decided to go on my drift during a snowstorm thinking that I could get interesting sounds. This leads me into the second situation that bothered me. I was, I guess you could say shocked, to find out not only how difficult it is to record in bad weather, but how few of the sounds were actually interesting. Everything sounded relatively the same. It was as if the snow in the air muffled the soundscape.
2. Describe, with details, two situations during Drift 1 in which you felt unusually peaceful, at ease, or contemplative.
The first situation was each time I stopped to record. These were contemplative moments because I would listen carefully to what I was recording and struggling to hear a difference from the other recordings I made. The second situation that put me to ease was my cigarette breaks, ‘nuff said.
3. Describe three surprises or unexpected situations you encountered on your Drift and in the days that followed. The surprise could stem from your expectations that conflicted with "on the ground" realities, cultural or social issues of which you were previously unaware, feelings and reactions that you did not expect to have, appearances and soundings of things you did not expect, good or bad outcomes of "on the spot" decisions you had to make, or the discovery of "deeper" realities in the materials you brought home. (Again, skip anything technology-related!)
First surprise: The utter failure that was the recording I made by placing my microphones in a dumper. It sounded the same as the open air recordings I made.
Second surprise: My drift strategy of rolling dice to guide my direction. With each roll I wanted to go in a different direction than what the dice told me to go. At first, I obeyed the dice, but after a while, I couldn’t stand the results of the dice. I had to do something different. I had to go in a different direction. It would seem that I can’t stand being told to do something, even if it is completely random.
Third surprise: I was surprised by the reactions to my recording that had a lot of wind. I never realized how much of a taboo wind can be, even though it is a naturally occurring element in a soundscape. But I guess I was mistaken by what is excepted of our recording.
4. Describe your favorite experience, situation, place, or recollection from your Drift. Be specific about what happened, how you felt, how you reacted, and why you think this particular experience affected you so much.
My favorite experience was the excitement I felt as I began the drift. I was anticipating discovering amazing sounds and sights during my drift. I continued to be optimistic for about an hour into my three and a half hour drift, but that optimism faded away into the cold and wet day. With each recording I made, I only felt frustration over the lack of unique sounds found in Whitefish Bay.
1. If I am completely obedient to my drift strategy, will I be more likely to find interesting sounds?
2. If I go out on a drift with preconceived goals of what to record, will I find them?
3. Is it wrong to create sounds in an environment that are not related to that location?
4. If I had to explain to a stranger what I am doing with these projects would they understand, or would they call me crazy and steal my gear?
5. If I changed my goal for my drifts to be focused on finding only ONE good, unique sound, would I be more successful than trying to find multiple sounds?
6. What is the best time of day or night to find sounds?
7. What is the SAFEST time of day or night to find sounds?
8. Would it be better to record everything during my next drift? (By that I mean leaving the microphones the entire time.)
9. Would my experience be more fulfilling if I went to a location that is completely foreign to me?
10. Would recording for an hour at a time in one location increase my chances of finding unique sounds?
1. Describe two situations that aggravated, bothered, shocked or otherwise stressed you during Drift 1. (Please note that the situation CANNOT be technology-related.)
I got aggravated by traffic because I was trying really hard to capture nature. I would wait for traffic to pass but the days I went out were cold so I got a bit uncomfortable. It also bothered me that people looked at me like I was crazy while I trying to capture certain sounds.
2. Describe, with details, two situations during Drift 1 in which you felt unusually peaceful, at ease, or contemplative.
There were some points where I was completely alone and I walked up on some deer eating in a field. I snuck up on them and watched them for a little while. I just remember enjoying seeing them and observing them in there natural habitat before they noticed me and ran off. I also came up to a creek that looked really beautiful with rocks half covered with snow and water breaking through the ice in spots. It made me feel serene.
3. Describe three surprises or unexpected situations you encountered on your Drift and in the days that followed. The surprise could stem from your expectations that conflicted with "on the ground" realities, cultural or social issues of which you were previously unaware, feelings and reactions that you did not expect to have, appearances and soundings of things you did not expect, good or bad outcomes of "on the spot" decisions you had to make, or the discovery of "deeper" realities in the materials you brought home. (Again, skip anything technology-related!)
I was surprised at how much I could hear in my recordings and how far away I could hear sounds with my headphones on.I could hear things way better than with my own ears. I was kind of shocked that in the locations I chose I didn't hear much more nature than I would have in the city. I didn't expect so much car noises for as far away from a the city I was.
4. Describe your favorite experience, situation, place, or recollection from your Drift. Be specific about what happened, how you felt, how you reacted, and why you think this particular experience affected you so much.
My favorite place was when I went to a boat landing. There was no one there so it was peaceful. I sat on a rock and just looked across the ice covered lake and thought about things. It was very relaxing and this is where I heard the ice rumble and decided to try and capture this sound.
1. If go to some of the same places can I capture different sounds?
2. Whats the difference between the noise the water makes in winter v.s. spring?
3. Are there any abandon buildings in the areas I want to explore?
4. Can I completely get away from the noise of the traffic?
5. Where are the best places to capture wildlife?
6. Is there any unmarked roads that I could travel?
7. Are there noticeable sounds when it gets closer to dusk?
8. Are there any ways I can get off land to record?
9.Can I find areas with no powerlines?
10. What images would appear better blurry and what images would appear better clear?
1. Describe two situations that aggravated, bothered, shocked or otherwise stressed you during Drift 1. (Please note that the situation CANNOT be technology-related.)
-I guess what I was annoyed with was how wet and cold everything was. Snow got into my shoes and made my feet really really cold. It got to the point were I had to take my socks and shoes off and walk home on the Milwaukee sidewalks barefoot. My feet were just too cold.
-I went what seemed to be a fairly decent distance, and yet the whole thing took three hours. My original desire was to walk a lot longer and cover more distance, but I am just too wimpy wimpy wimpy.
2. Describe, with details, two situations during Drift 1 in which you felt unusually peaceful, at ease, or contemplative.
-Despite computer problems that popped up midway, I enjoyed sitting in my warm room where everything was under my control and I could manipulate these recordings the way I really wanted them.
-I was really excited when I got my fifth drift recording. It summed up the trip completely with various sounds and some nice sounding wind chimes.
3. Describe three surprises or unexpected situations you encountered on your Drift and in the days that followed. The surprise could stem from your expectations that conflicted with "on the ground" realities, cultural or social issues of which you were previously unaware, feelings and reactions that you did not expect to have, appearances and soundings of things you did not expect, good or bad outcomes of "on the spot" decisions you had to make, or the discovery of "deeper" realities in the materials you brought home. (Again, skip anything technology-related!)
- I was surprised by how many people in this city have quiet dogs. I was in the parks for most of my drift and those things didn't make a peep. Perhaps they paid for the operation to have their vocal chords snipped.
-It was pleasant to discover the sound that melting drops of water make on a frozen ravine.
-I truly shocked myself when i came to the realization that I hate nature, even in it's most urban form: the park.
4. Describe your favorite experience, situation, place, or recollection from your Drift. Be specific about what happened, how you felt, how you reacted, and why you think this particular experience affected you so much.
After writing and reflecting upon your assessment answers, come up with ten questions that best address the aspects of your Drift process you are most interested in pursuing further in Drift 2.
-As stated before, I think my best recording was the final one. It was amazingly gratifying when I was able to get the pure sound of wind chimes without the intrusive sound of a truck or a bus passing by.
1. Are there any amazing parts of the city that are overlooked or misconfigured as "commonplace"?
2. Is there anywhere I can find that sticks out that doesn't have the typical city ambiance?
3. Is there any part of the city that tells a story without having to have someone explain?
4. Can a place that seems so banal be actually wrought with history?
5. What places have a pleasing aesthetic?
6. Is there anywhere that just doesn't seem to belong where it was placed?
7. Can I find interesting audio and visual textures in these places?
8. Can I find interesting variations on light and shadow?
9. If I pick an adjective, will I be able to find a place that fulfills without interfering with it?
10. Will I be able to keep my shoes on the entire time?
1) First and foremost, the thing that bothered me the most was the cold. Luckily, I went on a warmer day, but it was still pretty distracting. Secondly, I have to admit that I was, at times, frustrated with birds when capturing sounds. I would be capturing a spontaneous sound which would be rudely interrupted by a squawk, disrupting the aural focus.
2) I had my equipment on the ground recording a sound while I moved a short distance away. There was a moment when I felt outside of the process – disconnected from what I just had on my body and over my ears. Similarly, when I finished the drift walk, I took off my equipment, sat in my car and closed the door. At that moment, I felt that the world had gone silent. I had spent close to three hours walking with headphones on most of the time hearing everything around me and that one moment of silence seemed eternal.
3) One of the biggest surprises I had was the amount of interesting sounds I collected on a limited strategy. I was worried that I wouldn’t find enough good material or too similar of material, but I was pleasantly surprised when I started recording. Likewise, I was also surprised that some sounds that I didn’t think turned out well while recording were much more interesting upon further review. Lastly, while recording one sound that I had found by chance, an even more interesting sound interrupted it.
4) When I started the drift, I was nervous of how I looked with a leather bag over my shoulder, myself being bundled up with wires coming out from all over, waving to puffy microphones around. But, after a while, I stopped caring after my focus started shifting to the sounds surrounding me. I was walking down a sidewalk and hearing the cars pass in both directions to the left of me. Further down the road before a set a stop lights, I decide that I want to hear the cars going in one direction in one ear and going the other direction in the other ear. I get into the median, place the mics on opposite sides of me and listen to traffic passing all around me. It made me appreciate the need to take risks to get good (or at least interesting) results.
Ten Questions:
1- What’s inside some of the buildings I recorded outside of?
2- What do their doors sound like?
3- What is inside various trash cans/dumpsters?
4- What’s on the other side of the busy street?
5- How many different kinds of birds can I find?
6- What’s it like from litter’s perspective?
7- What kinds of conversations can I pick up?
8- Is there anything that seems out of place?
9- What kind of patterns can I pick up on?
10- How many ads/logos can I fit on the screen at one time?
Joseph Michals
1. Describe two situations that aggravated, bothered, shocked or otherwise stressed you during Drift 1. (Please note that the situation CANNOT be technology-related.)
The Wind!!! The wind was horrible. I had the bright idea of going near the lake and was completely annoyed by the wind. I had windscreens but at times the wind was still just too much. Another situation I was annoyed by was the omnipresent humming from traffic. I could just not get away from it, even on side streets.
2. Describe, with details, two situations during Drift 1 in which you felt unusually peaceful, at ease, or contemplative.
The first time I felt peaceful was I was when I could see and hear the lake. For some reason being near a body of water has always been one thing that could put me at ease with the world and everything happening in my life. Maybe since my name means dweller of the ocean but who knows. I also felt relaxed when I was recording the melting snow dripping into the sewer drain. Once again I think it was the sounds of water that soothed me.
3. Describe three surprises or unexpected situations you encountered on your Drift and in the days that followed. The surprise could stem from your expectations that conflicted with "on the ground" realities, cultural or social issues of which you were previously unaware, feelings and reactions that you did not expect to have, appearances and soundings of things you did not expect, good or bad outcomes of "on the spot" decisions you had to make, or the discovery of "deeper" realities in the materials you brought home. (Again, skip anything technology-related!)
Garbage and how often people decide to throw there own trash on public or private property was one thing I reencountered. I just cannot come to understand how hard it is to put a piece of trash into a garbage can. There is no shortage of garbage cans on the east side. Ever since the first practice walk I have really been paying closer attention to all five of my senses and I have noticed that I have one, been missing a lot, and two I have more inspiration as an artist. Going with the last comment, I think society has forgot how to with the city rather than in the city, meaning that we miss so much because we are always in a hurry and forget how to just be, and take in all the interesting, strange, entertaining, and inspirational sounds, sights and sometimes smells of the city.
4. Describe your favorite experience, situation, place, or recollection from your Drift. Be specific about what happened, how you felt, how you reacted, and why you think this particular experience affected you so much.
I have always had some reservations about filming, photographing or recording out in public spaces in fear of what passersby’s might say, do or think. There was one particular stretch of my walk were I come upon one sewer drain after the next with melting snow running into it. As I bobbed back and forth between all the sewers I felt like a rebel defying society and for once I did not care what passersby’s where thinking of me, this girl with big headphones on kneeling next to a sewer drain, but that feeling melted away along with all the dirty snow.
Questions:
1. Where can I go in the city to escape the ever-present traffic noise?
2. What can I do, if anything to avoid the wind sounds?
3. How would the same sounds I recorded during the day sound at night?
4. Besides the parking garage, are there any buildings that drastically change sound of things outside?
5. What time of day should I record my Drift 2 sounds?
6. Can I find a location that reminds me of my favorite city, New York?
7. Where can I find the street art and graffiti?
8. Will I be able to find some unique sounds and not the same old city sounds in my new location?
9. How Milwaukee’s city sounds differ from other cities?
10. How far can I walk in either direction along the river?
1. Describe two situations that aggravated, bothered, shocked or otherwise stressed you during Drift 1. (Please note that the situation CANNOT be technology-related.)
The first 'part' of my Drift lasted only about a half an hour. The algorithmic pattern I assigned myself persisted in leading me to the busy main streets in the same small area. Over and over again. Although I did find a couple interesting sounds, I was fed up with where I kept finding myself and decided to restart in a new location with a new algorithmic pattern. Another thing I found bothersome was the traffic. I would find the location of a sound that I felt was very interesting. Upon recording when I was attempting to get at least 30 seconds of that sound, it would suddenly get interrupted by a lone car or burst of traffic. I should have found another angle to get that sound, which was coming from the inside of a warehouse, I should have tried to go around it to a place where even less cars passed.
2. Describe, with details, two situations during Drift 1 in which you felt unusually peaceful, at ease, or contemplative.
On my first walk, I really loved being the only one in sight walking the sidewalk in a neighborhood that I've never been in before. This helped me to concentrate on the sounds in that area, and was an influence for me to search out more places that could further progress my work. The silence, acceptable temperature, and very little interference from vehicles, made the experience very enjoyable. Another instance was during my third walk near Bluemound. Even though it was very cold, and the walk lasted only an hour, the sounds quieted by the cold air,the small populations around the medical buildings, and the frozen-over lakes provided me with more visual information than audio.
3. Describe three surprises or unexpected situations you encountered on your Drift and in the days that followed. The surprise could stem from your expectations that conflicted with "on the ground" realities, cultural or social issues of which you were previously unaware, feelings and reactions that you did not expect to have, appearances and soundings of things you did not expect, good or bad outcomes of "on the spot" decisions you had to make, or the discovery of "deeper" realities in the materials you brought home. (Again, skip anything technology-related!)
There were a few moments where I felt disappointed with where my walk strategy took me, but was later satisfied with my location at the end of the walk since it had taken me to an area of town that I was always interested in exploring. After I abandoned the first part of my walk, due to the fact that it had kept taking me in circles, and restarted , things were getting a lot better. I ran into all these new areas of the neighborhood, until I hit a dead end. I readjusted my walk completely in attempt to compensate for this change of pattern.
At the end of my 1st drift walk when I was returning home down the train tracks, a single train engine started its way down the tracks from behind me. I've been wanting to get a recording of such a vehicle, but because of how unprepared I was at that moment, I missed out on my opportunity to get the sound and almost got run over by it. For my third shorter walk, I was pleased with how much the environment formed around my strategy. If the road ended, there would be a small hill, backyard, or park path that helped me continue my sound-searching journey.
4. Describe your favorite experience, situation, place, or recollection from your Drift. Be specific about what happened, how you felt, how you reacted, and why you think this particular experience affected you so much.
The area that fascinated me the most on my Drift walk was when I entered the area on Burnham street. I've always been interested in industrial settings, and this area was enriched in those elements. There was virtually no visible life in the area, except the occasional passing car, there remained only the sound of machinery within the buildings around me and the silence of the abandoned ones. Better yet, the weather was cold and and the sky was cloudy. The entire environment seemed eerie and dystopic. The bleak mood set by the results of industrialization is what attracted me there in the first place. I've lived in the area all my life but have never actually explored it as much as I did on my drift.
10 questions
1.Will my idea actually be new, or very similar if not almost identical to a previous student's drift 2 projects?
2. Will weather have a serious impact of my intended goal?
3. Will my goal somehow be altered to something completely different than what I intended and will that be a successful change?
4. Will my audience be able to understand the message in my video?
5. Will the sounds I collect provide the appropriate atmosphere in the accompanied video?
6. Should I use artificial lighting for the imagery?
7. Should I strive to make my video unsettling or enjoyable?
8. Will I be able to find better/more interesting sounds than in drift 1?
9. Should I over-saturate my video in visual effects?
10. Should I edit and distort my recorded sounds?
1. Describe two situations that aggravated, bothered, shocked or otherwise stressed you during Drift 1. (Please note that the situation CANNOT be technology-related.)
The first situation that aggravated me was the lack of interesting sounds. I felt that my sounds that I captured were pretty interesting for the area. I feel that the area in which I walked in didn’t have much to offer for dynamic sounds.
The Second thing shocked me was how much the microphones that we made pick up. While I was capturing a sound, I swallowed my saliva and the microphones picked up that sound. From that I learned that you have to be perfectly still and try not to make any sounds with your body at all while recording.
2. Describe, with details, two situations during Drift 1 in which you felt unusually peaceful, at ease, or contemplative.
The first situation where I felt at ease is when I started to walk and found my first sound. I think finding the first sound, and having it went well made the rest of the walk feel for the most part at ease. I think the first sound that I got, with the bird around the tree had a part of this. I think the birds, with the rhythm of their chirping also made me feel at ease, kind of one with nature.
The second part the made me feel at ease is when I was recording the road drain. Once I started to record it, it felt like I was listening to the soothing of sounds. Something that one would listen to before going to bed. I think at the point on my walk was the most at ease that I have been in a while. And to come out of it, I felt rejuvenated in a way.
3. Describe three surprises or unexpected situations you encountered on your Drift and in the days that followed. The surprise could stem from your expectations that conflicted with "on the ground" realities, cultural or social issues of which you were previously unaware, feelings and reactions that you did not expect to have, appearances and soundings of things you did not expect, good or bad outcomes of "on the spot" decisions you had to make, or the discovery of "deeper" realities in the materials you brought home. (Again, skip anything technology-related!)
The first surprise would be when I talked about the microphones picking up every sound that you make. Even if it wasn’t that loud, the microphones picked it up and one could hear it in their recordings. For me this kind of sound wasn’t as noticeable in the recording when I listened to it, but I could still hear it enough where I cut that part out.
The second surprise to me when I was walking is the uneasy feeling of recording people. When someone would walk past while I was recording, they would just give me this funny look and I felt weird that they were being recorded. I think it was a little more awkward when I would try to be close enough were I could hear what people were saying and trying to record that. Sometime I got the uneasy feeling and I backed down from recording it.
The last surprise that was a good outcome was when I decided to pan over the road drain. I think panning the microphones over the drain while they were spread out from one another gave a more dynamic sound. I am glad that I decided to do this, because I felt that it made my sound more unique and more aesthetically pleasing.
4. Describe your favorite experience, situation, place, or recollection from your Drift. Be specific about what happened, how you felt, how you reacted, and why you think this particular experience affected you so much.
My favorite experience form my drift 1 walk was the road drain. From this sound I got many feelings from and once I was there recording it I was in the zone so to say. I was experimenting with the microphone placement and I was trying many different things to make this sound more extravagant. Once I started this process I got into what I was doing. And for the whole drift one experience I think at this stage was my most keyed in part. I was just focused on that sound and nothing else. And I feel that with all the other things what we have to do in our daily lifes, I feel at that point that I didn’t think about anything else.
1.) What is it about a sound that make one feel so in tuned with it?
2.) Does the weather affect the kinds of sounds you get?
3.) Would that area that you walked have more interesting sounds the second time around?
4.) What kind of stuff would I get if I didn’t back away from recording people?
5.) How do I go about picking another area to walk for my next walk?
6.) Can sounds from your body be interesting in a recording if done properly?
7.) What kind of sounds would you get if you were at different ground levels?
8.) What kind of mind set should you have when going out?
9.) Does your mind set, and how you go about doing your walk affect your sounds?
10.) What kind of sounds make you more interested than others?
1. Describe two situations that aggravated, bothered, shocked or otherwise stressed you during Drift 1. (Please note that the situation CANNOT be technology-related.)
- First of all, the buses. I knew I would have to deal with them at some point during my drift. I thought, however, they would eventually be shutting down due to the late hour I had started. This never happened. Not only were there numerous buses that could be heard almost nonstop, but every time one would drive by the levels would spike so high in my headphones I was lucky they did not break, or for that matter that I didn't go deaf.
- Second, the cold. I had picked what I assumed would be the warmest night for its time but the cold made it almost impossible to hold still for more than a couple minutes. At one point I thought I had caught frostbite on my fingers because of how much the cold stung them. Even though I dressed appropriately for the occasion it made no difference.
2. Describe, with details, two situations during Drift 1 in which you felt unusually peaceful, at ease, or contemplative.
-The first situation would have to be on the inside of the doorway to the hotel. The fact that I could have a chance to warm up was not the only reason though. This was a small enclosure between two sets of doors, one leading outside into the streets and the other into the hotel lobby. Because of these doors, all sounds outside of the small box were given a muffled effect. The only clear sound was the faint rattle of a small, overhead air vent. The muffled effect took away all of the sharp sounds and left only low rumbling and hums. With the loud, keen sounds taken out it felt as if the city was humming to me calmly.
- The second was when I was recording water dripping into the sewer. I actually zoned out of everything else a bit while recording that sound. I enjoy the sounds of gentle water running or dripping. When I recorded the higher pressure of water pouring into the river it was far too rough. The sewer dripping had a much more musical style to it. Each drip had its own tone and felt similar to when someone would play individual notes at the high end of a piano keyboard.
3. Describe three surprises or unexpected situations you encountered on your Drift and in the days that followed. The surprise could stem from your expectations that conflicted with "on the ground" realities, cultural or social issues of which you were previously unaware, feelings and reactions that you did not expect to have, appearances and soundings of things you did not expect, good or bad outcomes of "on the spot" decisions you had to make, or the discovery of "deeper" realities in the materials you brought home. (Again, skip anything technology-related!)
- The first time a bus drove past me it had me scrambling to rip the headphones off my head in order to save my hearing. They are easily the loudest things I heard on my drift and from that point on I made sure at least take my headphones off in advance if I saw one approaching.
- When recording on the corner of the street with the guy singing next to me I found it rather odd that he didn't stop singing. I was standing a ways in front of him so there was no way he could have missed me, with my big headphones on and mics in hand with arms stretched out. My presence did not seem to dishearten him.
- Even into the late, late hours there were still a fair number of people present on the streets. I'm use to, come nightfall, the streets becoming quite desolate. But even at 3:00AM there were pairs or small groups of people wandering about.
4. Describe your favorite experience, situation, place, or recollection from your Drift. Be specific about what happened, how you felt, how you reacted, and why you think this particular experience affected you so much.
- "What else does this sound like?" or, "have I heard this used before in someone else's work?" are two questions I often asked myself while recording. I often look for sound effects no other piece has used before. Nowadays you can listen to movies or TV shows and sometimes hear the exact same background cheers from one crowd come from an entirely different crown in another work. The cars on bridge treads was my favorite sound because it's something you'll probably never find in a sound effect library.
Ten Questions:
- Is there somewhere in the downtown area that buses can't be heard from?
- How different is a location's sound in daylight compared to night?
- Would you hear different sounds between each corner of the same intersection?
- Are there urban areas that sound suburban and vise versa?
- What do other statues have to "listen" to?
- What location can you find the highest number around, no matter the time of day?
- Are there areas that have more natural/nature sounds than manmade ones?
- Were could you find natural animal sounds downtown, if at all?
- How do dark alleys compare to well-lit streets?
- What areas are there to record sounds underground and how are they different from street-level?
1. One situation that would stress me out was the weather. Trying to capture sounds in 20 degree weather made it a little more than difficult to focus.
2. Another problem that would aggravate me was the difficulty of finding sounds I liked. After about 2 hours of walking everything begins to sound the same and became increasingly difficult to hone in on sounds.
2. Describe, with details, two situations during Drift 1 in which you felt unusually peaceful, at ease, or contemplative. 1. After capturing a sound that I fell in love with I felt unusually satisfied. I became quite content with the sound I had just captured and was beginning to feel optimistic in my abilities to capture sounds.
2. Walking throughout my drift I had become highly contemplative in listening to my surroundings. I would really focus in on my listening abilities and judge what sounds, "good" and what sounds, "bad."
3. Describe three surprises or unexpected situations you encountered on your Drift and in the days that followed. The surprise could stem from your expectations that conflicted with "on the ground" realities, cultural or social issues of which you were previously unaware, feelings and reactions that you did not expect to have, appearances and soundings of things you did not expect, good or bad outcomes of "on the spot" decisions you had to make, or the discovery of "deeper" realities in the materials you brought home. (Again, skip anything technology-related!)
1. one of my sounds was surprisingly lyrical. I had no idea as I recorded the sound.
2. At the time of capturing sounds I felt all of them would be obsolete to other peoples sounds but then soon realized that what I had captured was above average.
3. It was easier than expected to find sounds that amuse me and proved to be satisfactory.
4. Describe your favorite experience, situation, place, or recollection from your Drift. Be specific about what happened, how you felt, how you reacted, and why you think this particular experience affected you so much.
My favorite experience was capturing one sound in particular by sticking my mics into a sewer. The sound I captured was lyrical and made my day.
ten questions:
1. what part of town would prove to provide the best sounds?
2. would a better wind screen help me capture better sounds?
3. is there a time of day that would work best for sounds?
4. are automobiles in the background necessarily a bad thing?
5. do open spaces work better than small, enclosed spaces?
6. are people talking in the background distracting?
7. do the woods or the city provide better sounds?
8. does going somewhere I've never been give me the option of finding better than sounds rather than a place I am familiar with?
9. would animals provide better sounds?
10. where are great industrial sounds that I can find?
1. Describe two situations that aggravated, bothered, shocked or otherwise stressed you during Drift 1. (Please note that the situation CANNOT be technology-related.)
Two situations that bothered me during the duration of completely drift 1, were the current weather situations, and maneuvering through certain areas. The weather was frustrating because, when it was terrible outside, I didn't want to be out there. It's hard to really capture any sort of sound without actually wanting to be outside. Maneuvering through certain areas without capturing sounds that I didn't want to. For example, if I wanted to go from one place to another, I couldn't because you could hear me walking. This was especially the case when the snow was half melted, and I had no other place to walk.
2. Describe, with details, two situations during Drift 1 in which you felt unusually peaceful, at ease, or contemplative.
I would say that when I was out of the city I felt more at ease with my recordings. I also felt like I could hear more in depth sounds, rather than the clutter of the noise in the city. Also, doing my recordings in the Kettle Moraine Forest I felt like my recordings were more focused on certain sounds. This also especially helped me listen more for sounds I wanted to obtain.
3. Describe three surprises or unexpected situations you encountered on your Drift and in the days that followed. The surprise could stem from your expectations that conflicted with "on the ground" realities, cultural or social issues of which you were previously unaware, feelings and reactions that you did not expect to have, appearances and soundings of things you did not expect, good or bad outcomes of "on the spot" decisions you had to make, or the discovery of "deeper" realities in the materials you brought home. (Again, skip anything technology-related!)
One surprise I encountered was how soothing it felt to be away from the city, and to be able to hear peaceful noises, rather than pure clutter. Another surprise I felt I encountered was the ability to capture different sounds based on the elevation of where my microphones were placed. I felt that when they were placed closer to the ground, the sound was deeper. Whereas when I placed it above, and into a tree, higher up, I felt that I was capturing more of an echo and a lighter sound. The last surprise I encountered, was capturing sounds that I initially didn't want in my recordings, then later appreciating it more.
4. Describe your favorite experience, situation, place, or recollection from your Drift. Be specific about what happened, how you felt, how you reacted, and why you think this particular experience affected you so much.
My personal favorite recollection of doing the drift was actually listening to my recordings after. I found this highly inticing because I could actually make a recollection of what I was doing, what I was seeing, and what I was feeling at the time, while listening to my recordings later. I also found this quite shocking in the case that, I felt like I was there again. And that was just a good feeling to have.
After writing and reflecting upon your assessment answers, come up with ten questions that best address the aspects of your Drift process you are most interested in pursuing further in Drift 2.
1) What time of angles should I use when taking pictures, aerial?
2) Do I want to create more of a peaceful slow paced clip, or a fast abrupt clip with multiple things going on?
3) Will I approach living things as well as objects?
4) Do I want to approach this project with a day setting, or a night setting?
5) What different places will I endure during this walk?
6) What type of architecture should I capture? (buildings, monuments.. etc.)
7) Where will I be able to find older, antique houses?
8) Would it be wise to mix modern architecture with older structures?
9) What kind of sounds am I looking for?
10) Will the weather this time around, actually pertain to my likings, where I'll actually want to be outside?
1. Describe two situations that aggravated, bothered, shocked or otherwise stressed you during Drift 1.
I chose to do my drift 1 walk relatively late at night because I didn’t want my recordings to be overpowered by the sound of traffic. However, that also meant that there weren’t too many people out to record either. I found that some of my recordings didn’t have much depth to them so I didn’t have the biggest selection of sounds to choose from for my blog. Another aggravating situation I had was the weather. I made sure I went for my walk on a day that wasn’t snowing and not ridiculously cold. But even though it was around 30 degrees outside, being out there for a few hours made it seem a lot colder. Winter is my least favorite season.
2. Describe, with details, two situations during Drift 1 in which you felt unusually peaceful, at ease, or contemplative.
At one point in my drift walk, I had to hike through some woods that lined a pretty steep hill to get to my ending point. Even though it was cold and soggy I didn’t think twice about going through the trees. I was on a mission and didn’t felt like nothing could stand in my way. The other time I was at peace was at my last stop. I set up my microphones and sat at a picnic table to write some notes about my surroundings. The word flowed out of me and I no longer worried about the cold weather or my crappy day.
3. Describe three surprises or unexpected situations you encountered on your Drift and in the days that followed. The surprise could stem from your expectations that conflicted with "on the ground" realities, cultural or social issues of which you were previously unaware, feelings and reactions that you did not expect to have, appearances and soundings of things you did not expect, good or bad outcomes of "on the spot" decisions you had to make, or the discovery of "deeper" realities in the materials you brought home. (Again, skip anything technology-related!)
I was surprised, that in the days following my drift walk, I was still listening to everything around me. I kept thinking, “I should be recording this.” Another surprise I had was how my last recording was so bad. I made sure that I would end at the marina but I failed to predict that there wouldn’t be any sounds to capture. The fact that there are no animals outside and everything is frozen is why I hate winter so much. It’s too depressing and dead for me. For one of my recordings, I wanted to capture the sounds of the wind chimes hanging on someone’s house. But when I played the recordings back on my computer, the sound was barely audible in my headphones and even less audible with speakers. Whatever I tried, I still couldn’t get the chimes quite loud enough.
4. Describe your favorite experience, situation, place, or recollection from your Drift. Be specific about what happened, how you felt, how you reacted, and why you think this particular experience affected you so much.
My favorite experience while on my drift walk was my last stop by the river. It was very peaceful and quiet. Whenever I have seen this place before, it has always been full of life and crowded. But that night there wasn’t anyone near. I didn’t think I would be able to get away from sound in the city of Milwaukee, but the time I spent there was almost entirely in silence.
1. How can I capture more human interactions?
2. How will I portray the spirit of Milwaukee?
3. How can I achieve more dynamic recordings?
4. How can I produce an intensely echoed sound recording?
5. Are there any unique sculptures I can capture?
6. What kind of wildlife is in the area?
7. Is there a place with a large amount of people around?
8. Are there any unique indoor recording opportunities?
9. How big of a contrast will it be from recording at night to recording during the day?
10. How will the city sound in warmer weather?
1. Describe two situations that aggravated, bothered, shocked or otherwise stressed you during Drift 1. (Please note that the situation CANNOT be technology-related.)
During My Drift 1 there weren’t too many things that aggravated me, however the constant wind caused my recordings to sound a little droned out at times. One thing I guess I didn’t think about was the route I chose to walk and how repetitious some of the sounds were. I wanted something unique and at times it was a little difficult to find something that most people don’t take the time to listen to.
2. Describe, with details, two situations during Drift 1 in which you felt unusually peaceful, at ease, or contemplative.
The first part of my Drift 1 walk was probably the most peaceful because I was alone down by the river where almost no traffic could be heard and I was able to see and hear nature at it’s finest. The other part I surprisingly found to be quite peaceful was when I recorded traffic passing on the street. When I closed my eyes it was interesting to listen to the wind gust as cars, trucks, and other automobiles drove past.
3. Describe three surprises or unexpected situations you encountered on your Drift and in the days that followed. The surprise could stem from your expectations that conflicted with "on the ground" realities, cultural or social issues of which you were previously unaware, feelings and reactions that you did not expect to have, appearances and soundings of things you did not expect, good or bad outcomes of "on the spot" decisions you had to make, or the discovery of "deeper" realities in the materials you brought home. (Again, skip anything technology-related!)
During my recording session by the river I noticed a lot of garbage and trash that was in the area and it made me a little frustrated to think that people are really careless when it comes to keeping our city clean. Another event that sticks in my memory is when I was recording a sewer filling with water and for some reason it intrigued me as to what the sewer system of Milwaukee looks like underground, so I surfed around the internet and found some images of it and I was extremely surprised to see how big it really was. The last thing I will comment on was when I was in the parking garage recording sounds and it made me think about all the people who drive, and how more people should make use of public transportation or riding a bike; perhaps that’s a start to making this world a bit less polluted.
4. Describe your favorite experience, situation, place, or recollection from your Drift. Be specific about what happened, how you felt, how you reacted, and why you think this particular experience affected you so much.
I have always been a huge fan of the outdoors and any chance I have to get away from the city life I do, which is why I think my favorite part of my Drift 1 was going to the river where it was quiet and appealing to not only my eyes but my ears as well. I enjoyed listening to the river running and the small waves washing up on the shoreline as I got my microphone in place. I also enjoyed the post production work with editing the sounds and using new programs to expand my artistic creativity.
1. Where can I find the most unique sound in the city?
2. Is there a more peaceful place in Milwaukee other than the river?
3. What happens when I Drift at different times of the day/night?
4. Does my Drift map allow me to gather many different types of footage?
5. Where is the most scenic place in Milwaukee?
6. What does the city skyline look like at night compared to during the day?
7. If the city was my canvas, why would I have painted it the way it is?
8. Are there any areas of Milwaukee that are seldom seen by the people who live here?
9. Where can I get the broadest view of the city?
10. What does the city sound like underground?
1. Describe two situations that aggravated, bothered, shocked or otherwise stressed you during Drift 1. (Please note that the situation CANNOT be technology-related.)
One situation that aggravated me was not being able to find enough sounds in the forest that I was in. It seemed so silent for the longest time but after a while I started to get animal sounds. Another situation that bothered me was that the waves on the beach overpowered any other sound so it was very hard to record anything besides waves when I was on the beach.
2. Describe, with details, two situations during Drift 1 in which you felt unusually peaceful, at ease, or contemplative.
I felt very peaceful when I was recording the waves sounds. I was right next to the waters edge recording the sounds but it made me feel relaxed because it was like a continuous crashing of waves. Another time I felt peaceful was when I was in the woods. I wasn’t even hearing wind or animals it was so silent. On mostly walked on a road covered over by trees so that probably blocked out a lot of sounds.
3. Describe three surprises or unexpected situations you encountered on your Drift and in the days that followed. The surprise could stem from your expectations that conflicted with "on the ground" realities, cultural or social issues of which you were previously unaware, feelings and reactions that you did not expect to have, appearances and soundings of things you did not expect, good or bad outcomes of "on the spot" decisions you had to make, or the discovery of "deeper" realities in the materials you brought home. (Again, skip anything technology-related!)
I was surprised at how loud the beach was. There are hardly any cars that go by that beach but if there was I wouldn’t hear them anyway since the waves were so loud. I was also surprised when I met a friend on the beach from high school who I haven’t seen for a couple years. But I was telling him I was recording sound and he said he noticed that the waves on the rocks down the beach made a sweet sound. So I went to go check it out. I was also surprised when I started hearing gunshots. I was in the middle of the woods when they started going off. But the birds and animals I was hearing didn’t seem affected by it.
4. Describe your favorite experience, situation, place, or recollection from your Drift. Be specific about what happened, how you felt, how you reacted, and why you think this particular experience affected you so much.
My favorite experience was when I started hearing the gunshots. I thought it was very lucky to record a sound that represented the hick town I live in. I was really hoping the shots would be loud enough but it most defiantly was once I started recording. I was just leaving the intense sound of waves when I started first hearing the shots. I picked a good day to record it seems. I didn’t even know that there was a shooting range near by and I’ve lived there my whole life.
Questions
1. Can I get more than nature sounds when I’m in nature?
2. Is there a certain kind of soil that will make a funny noise?
3. Where can I hear unique urban sounds?
4. What do I do when I can’t hear anything but wind?
5. Is it less windy at night than day?
6. Is there a place where I can get nature sounds without urban noises in the urban environment?
7. How do I get a variety of sounds?
8. Where can I hear multiple birds chirp?
9. Does the lake make noises when it’s not wavey?
10. Can I get other water sounds besides waves?
1. Describe two situations that aggravated, bothered, shocked or otherwise stressed you during Drift 1. (Please note that the situation CANNOT be technology-related.)
One of the situations that caused great stress to me while on my walk was not being able to record a particular sound that I came about because other sounds disturbed it. I think that it would have been easier, for example, to record a specific sound, like the chirping of birds, if the location would have been different (not a busy street).
A situation that greatly aggravated me was the strong wind at the lakefront. I encountered a great environment with birds and ducks that surrounded me and were making lots different sounds. I was recording these sounds thinking that they might be of good quality without much hope. Nevertheless, I came home and listened to them and realized that most of the recordings would be of no use.
2. Describe, with details, two situations during Drift 1 in which you felt unusually peaceful, at ease, or contemplative.
While I had trouble with the recordings at the lake, while actually on my walk, the lakefront was when I felt most at ease. I brought a friend with me on my walk and we both reflected on how connected with felt with nature while the birds and ducks surrounded us. The sounds that they made were so close to us and there we were surrounded by all these animals which made us feel like part of their whole environment. We stood still for about six minutes and I, personally, closed my eyes and just enjoyed the moment.
A time when I felt at ease was while recording the sound which later became my fifth final sound. I was able to use this sound, water coming out of a well, and play around with it using microphone positioning. It was kind of fun listening to the water through my headphones and being able to manipulate the microphone at the same time.
3. Describe three surprises or unexpected situations you encountered on your Drift and in the days that followed. The surprise could stem from your expectations that conflicted with "on the ground" realities, cultural or social issues of which you were previously unaware, feelings and reactions that you did not expect to have, appearances and soundings of things you did not expect, good or bad outcomes of "on the spot" decisions you had to make, or the discovery of "deeper" realities in the materials you brought home. (Again, skip anything technology-related!)
Before going on the walk, I was disappointed in the weather outside. Later on, as I walked for a while I was surprised to find that the weather actually enhanced my experience. The dripping, melting snow was actually one of my sounds. Another thing that surprised me was that the friend that came along on my walk later told me that she really enjoyed the experience and that she would come with me if I needed a second walk. I did not expect to record any people but I ended up recording some kids because I thought it was interesting how excited they were and how I could capture this specific moment.
4. Describe your favorite experience, situation, place, or recollection from your Drift. Be specific about what happened, how you felt, how you reacted, and why you think this particular experience affected you so much.
My favorite situation was indeed the lakefront with the birds and ducks. Even though the recordings were not what I expected, I felt like this moment would not have come, especially during this time of year, if not for the Drift walk. I noticed how they reacted to me and was surprised because they were not fazed or scared of me. I felt connected to nature for the first time since the summer!
10 Questions:
1. Can I find a place that looks completely different from its surroundings?
2. What is the highest point that I can get to?
3. Does the time of day affect my sounds?
4. HOW does the time affect my images?
5. Where is the busiest place in my drift area?
6. Where is most peaceful place in my drift area?
7. Where can I acquire a sound I haven't heard yet?
8. Are there different sounds at night?
9. Does company affect my drift experience?
10. How can I make better use of my microphone?
1. Describe two situations that aggravated, bothered, shocked or otherwise stressed you during Drift 1. (Please note that the situation CANNOT be technology-related.)
Okay so my walk or should I say walk definitely didn’t go smoothly. Besides the technological problems, I really made an idiot of myself on my walk. The first instance would have to be the way I got my geese sounds. These two geese were over by the pond and I decided that it would be a pretty rad idea if I got a close up sound of the geese’s honk. So I am slowly following them, holding my mics out to them and they are waddling faster and faster away from me. It ended up with me chasing them down the road, as all the people in the park watch on and as they made NO noise whatsoever.
The other thing that happened was that as I was trying to get a good recording of inside the tunnel. Since the cars were making much noise I kept trying to give more cord (I don’t really know how that was going to help), but I ended up falling over the tunnel onto the ice. Thankfully nothing happened to my mini disc recorder, but I felt like a complete idiot yet again.
2. Describe, with details, two situations during Drift 1 in which you felt unusually peaceful, at ease, or contemplative.
When I first started, because even though I didn’t find a lot of things that were recording worthy, it was nice to be at the park and actually listen to nature in a totally different way than I ever had. Another time would have to be when I was walking through the woods between the beaver dam and the tunnel; I felt like I was just very calm and tranquil, just not so rush, while I was looking for something interesting to pop up and peak my interest.
3. Describe three surprises or unexpected situations you encountered on your Drift and in the days that followed. The surprise could stem from your expectations that conflicted with "on the ground" realities, cultural or social issues of which you were previously unaware, feelings and reactions that you did not expect to have, appearances and soundings of things you did not expect, good or bad outcomes of "on the spot" decisions you had to make, or the discovery of "deeper" realities in the materials you brought home. (Again, skip anything technology-related!)
I was super pumped when I got back home and listened back to my recordings and I caught a glimpse of the geese flying away and their honks were echoing. I was pretty excited. I think the biggest one that I got was when this lady passed me by with her dog. I had caught the sound of her dog trying to run as she was on her walk. She stopped and asked me what I was doing and she let me get a few more sounds, like the dog drinking out of his bowl and the dog chewing on his bone. Those were probably my favorite sounds that I got. I think that I was also surprised by the amount of recordings that I got considering the restricted area that I went in. I even got more than I expected and needed.
4. Describe your favorite experience, situation, place, or recollection from your Drift. Be specific about what happened, how you felt, how you reacted, and why you think this particular experience affected you so much.
I think that my favorite experience had to be the dog experience. The whole thing just made me feel real creative and that I could get much more out just simple things that I find.
1. Now that the ice and snow is clearing away rapidly, are there new sounds to be discovered?
2. Are there more trails to explore?
3. Should you go further down the park east towards the industrial area, or west towards the village?
4. Should you try to get even closer to the wanted sound?
5. If you bring a friend, do you think that could help hear things you might have missed?
6. Should you go on the extended walk alone?
7. If you go in the morning, will the sounds be different than at night?
8. What is your goal or message for this drift 2 walk
9. Would many stills catch my audiences’ attention for my short film?
10. Would only video footage catch their attention better?
1. I had trouble getting good enough sounds on my walk. I also had trouble finding different enough sounds. Too often I'd pick up car noise. So maybe I can move away from the street. These mics are amazing at picking up sound.
2. When I first hit the trail along the river. It was very relaxing and I didn't feel as awkward with my huge headphones on. The other time was when I came across a bunch of ducks. Their quacks were surprisingly peaceful.
3. I wasn't expecting many people to be out on the trail considering it was raining that day. I also couldn't believe how poetic the cars sounded from underneath the bridge. I was how much sound of my pants and shoes the mics picked up because I couldn't really hear it on my headset while I was recording.
4. My favorite experience was definitely the ducks. I didn't even use the sound because their quacks came out faintly. But it was heartwarming to see the little family of ducks wobbling around the fields. I think it helped to relax me because I was stressing so much about trying to get good sounds.
My 10:
1. Is there a difference in sound since the weather has changed?
2. Were the roads from my first walk that I considered going down, but chose otherwise?
3. Are there any good areas in the city with visual symmetry?
4. Are there any ways I can block out more sounds other than the ones I can hear?
5. Should I try to get close to my sounds or stay at a distance?
6. Do I want to photograph what I'm recording for sounds?
7. How will my audio and visual walks differ?
8. Are there any particular structures that really interest me?
9. Do I want to capture sounds completely unrelated to my video clips?
10. What ratio do I want between stills and moving images?
Max Kobold
1. Describe two situations that aggravated, bothered, shocked, or otherwise stressed you during Drift 1. (Please note that the situation CANNOT be technology-related.)
Besides Technical problems, which I had plenty of; I came across a few frustrating moments. For example, on more than one occasion a car would driving by and be so loud that I would have to take off my head phones until it passed. Also I struggled to keep my breathing quiet due to the cold day. But more specifically, I became very frustrated when two teenage girls were yelling across the street to each other. I grew even more annoyed when they started to follow me and continued to yell.
2. Describe, with details, two situations during Drift 1 in which you felt unusually peaceful, at ease, or contemplative.
I can’t say this moment made me feel at ease, but it did make me feel confident that I had made a good recording. It was right after I had stumbled on to a “dog fight”. I was very excited to see how it sounded and I knew it would make for a good recording. A second time that I felt confident was when I was recording inside a storm drain. I thought this would be a good way to allow so traffic sounds without them being overpowering.
3. Describe three surprises or unexpected situations you encountered on your drift and in the days that followed. The surprise could stem from your expectations that conflicted with "on the ground" realities, cultural or social issues of which you were previously unaware, feelings and reactions that you did not expect to have, appearances and sounds of things you did not expect, good or bad outcomes of "on the spot" decisions you had to make, or the discovery of "deeper" realities in the materials you brought home. (Again, skip anything technology-related!)
In the days that followed my walk, I was surprised to find myself more aware of sound and different elements of sound. I began to notice the sounds I usually ignore/ taken for granite. For example, the low drone of a heater used to be a sound I would never notice, but after my walk every time the heat is on I am very aware of its sound.
4. Describe your favorite experience, situation, place, or recollection from your drift. Be specific about what happened, how you felt, how you reacted, and why you think this particular experience affected you so much.
My favorite experience was recording the dog fight. This was exciting not because the event itself was exciting, but because I knew the recording would be one of a kind. I walked very quickly toward the fight as soon as I heard it start. Once I got closer, I started to walk at an even pace and tried to act as though I was just passing by. This was because I did not want to interfere with the scene. It was pure luck that timed everything out perfectly. I was standing in the middle of the three dogs just as the fight was reaching its most climactic point and walking away as it drew to a close. This natural fade help to create an appropriate mood for the piece.
1. Where can I find sounds not common in this area without going too far?
2. How different would sounds in the night as opposed to the day?
3. Is there a place where nature sights and urban sights strike a balance?
4. How will people affect my images?
5. What sound could I hear on the Milwaukee River that I could not hear on the lake?
6. How evident will people’s effect on nature be in my images?
7. How evident will natures effect on people by?
8. Is there any unique architecture in the area?
9. What types of people will be captured in my images?
10. What effect will the time of day have on my images?
1. One thing that bothered me on my drift walk was that it was very difficult to escape the sounds of traffic. There were plenty of other sounds in the areas I went to, but traffic would overpower most of them. Another thing that was stressful was hearing sounds that I couldn’t really get close to without someone thinking I was some sort of criminal. For instance, walking by a playground, I didn’t want to creep anyone out by walking up and recording what was happening, but having a clear recording of youth having fun would have been nice.
2. Sitting on a bench along the side of Lake Michigan was, as to be expected, unusually peaceful compared to my normal life. I was able to relax and hear all of the different bird noises. Even the people that would walk by seemed very peaceful, which is quite likely because of the setting. I couldn’t be completely at ease, though, because I had to be paying attention to every noise I heard.
Another place where I felt at ease was a spot where I had heard a train, so I waited for a while to see if another one would come by. I sat on the sidewalk in the sun, with a slight breeze, not having to listen to very much traffic except for the hum of the highway. People didn’t walk by often, so it was quite peaceful.
3. I was shocked at some of the conversations I overheard while sitting around with a microphone. I was surprised at how many places I could hear birds at this time of year. I was also surprised that no one throughout the whole walk asked me what I was doing.
4. Sitting by the Walter Schroeder Library on a bench, I enjoyed realizing how unfiltered people’s conversations would be. They obviously didn’t know I was recording, and probably didn’t even notice that I was there. Multiple groups of people would stand close by and talk about whatever they felt like talking about. That seems strange to me, because I tend to be reserved, especially in public. A couple talking about an affair they were having at the moment was an odd thing to hear. I didn’t think that would be appropriate to post for my assignment, so I left that out. I enjoyed the experience, because I was just relaxing on a bench on a nice day, and at the same time I was getting tiny glimpses into the stories of different lives that I will hopefully never be a part of.
Ten Questions
1. Are there any sights that could fit with completely unrelated sounds in an interesting way?
2. Are there any places that stick out like a sore thumb, as if they don’t belong in the space they occupy?
3. Is there somewhere (outside) where I am completely cut off from the sound of traffic?
4. Are there any beautiful things in the middle of a bunch of run-down, ugly things?
5. Are there places where the feel of it completely changes from one spot to the next?
6. Can I find something that I’ve never seen before?
7. Can I find something that I can’t explain what it is?
8. Are there any places I’ve passed before, but upon further inspection are something completely different than what I thought?
9. How far can I go without seeing a drinking establishment?
10. Are there any places that remind me of a specific song?
1. Describe two situations that aggravated, bothered, shocked or otherwise stressed you during Drift 1. (Please note that the situation CANNOT be technology-related.)
-I think my biggest problem during the recording was finding unique sounds were there was not too much wind. There were a few recordings where I put the headphones down and though it would be a good recording from what I could hear but later found out that there was a lot of wind sound. Aside from that I enjoyed my walks and didn’t run into too many issues other than technical issues.
The rumble of traffic also bothered me because it was boring and not peaceful.
2. Describe, with details, two situations during Drift 1 in which you felt unusually peaceful, at ease, or contemplative.
-There was one recording where I heard many birds chirping and it was very interesting. It was one of those moments where I didn’t realize how many sounds I miss out on when I don’t pay attention. I was able to relax and just listen to the sounds I was hearing and it was very nice.
I also had a moment when I was walking through a forest where the nature was beautiful and I felt very at ease.
3. Describe three surprises or unexpected situations you encountered on your Drift and in the days that followed. The surprise could stem from your expectations that conflicted with "on the ground" realities, cultural or social issues of which you were previously unaware, feelings and reactions that you did not expect to have, appearances and soundings of things you did not expect, good or bad outcomes of "on the spot" decisions you had to make, or the discovery of "deeper" realities in the materials you brought home. (Again, skip anything technology-related!)
I was surprised how often you can hear traffic. Pretty much anywhere I went I could hear a little rumble from the traffic. Also I was surprised how many dogs will bark at you when you walk by a house. It was funny watching the dogs follow me and bark. One last surprise was the amount of birds in the area. A lot of the time it sounds like they are fighting each other. It was fun to pick of the different bird noises.
4. Describe your favorite experience, situation, place, or recollection from your Drift. Be specific about what happened, how you felt, how you reacted, and why you think this particular experience affected you so much.
My favorite experience was when I was by a lake and it was very cold out but I was concentrating so much on my audio that I had no concern for how cold it was outside. I felt really intact with my environment and it was an interesting experience.
Are there any bodies of water with an interesting shape?
Are there any lawns that stand out because the grass is so green?
Are there any areas where I would feel unsafe if I was there at night?
Are there any places that look really bright because of the colors of nature?
Is there an interesting path that I have never seen before?
Are there any areas where the ground is really unlevel?
Is there an area where it looks like people visit a lot?
What tree would be the most likely to hold many birds?
Is there an area where I think I would get lost?
Where is a place where I think I would like to revist?
Drift 1 Assessment
1. Describe two situations that aggravated, bothered, shocked or otherwise stressed you during Drift 1. (Please note that the situation CANNOT be technology-related.)
I can mention a few annoyances non technical related. The sound of traffic was nearly impossible to avoid in the city. I came close in the park, but you can still here the hum of it there. Wind was also very hard to control or avoid, especially on the warmer day which is the day I captured most of my sounds. It was not too windy on the colder day, but then frozen fingers made me clumsy and crabby.
2. Describe, with details, two situations during Drift 1 in which you felt unusually peaceful, at ease, or contemplative.
One - when I found wind chimes. Listening to the different sounds made by the push of the wind on the chimes became very relaxing and hypnotizing even.
Two - when I captured my 5th sound, that had so many surprises in it (detailed in next question), it made me really think about how soundscapes can change so suddenly and are really unpredictable. Like life is. You can feel like you have everything lined up and controlled to you liking... and out of no where a test siren can go off.
3. Describe three surprises or unexpected situations you encountered on your Drift and in the days that followed. The surprise could stem from your expectations that conflicted with "on the ground" realities, cultural or social issues of which you were previously unaware, feelings and reactions that you did not expect to have, appearances and soundings of things you did not expect, good or bad outcomes of "on the spot" decisions you had to make, or the discovery of "deeper" realities in the materials you brought home. (Again, skip anything technology-related!)
More then 3 surprises arose when I was recording my 5th sound. I was trying to capture wind chimes, with no expectation of capturing any thing else but maybe birds, wind and traffic... but then out of now where a band started to practice in a basement near by and their drums created a background rhythm that turned all the following sounds into a composition. That alone was a surprise and then church bells, then the neighborhood test siren went off, dogs barked... the whole soundscape was one huge surprise after another. Wonderful.
Also, ever since my sound walk I catch myself listening way more closely to my surroundings then I had ever before. It's pretty wonderful. I have been finding a lot of wonderful surprises.
4. Describe your favorite experience, situation, place, or recollection from your Drift. Be specific about what happened, how you felt, how you reacted, and why you think this particular experience affected you so much.
Again, and I hate to sound like a broken record, but that 5th sound was just so unique that it was definitely my favorite. However, exploring in itself was very fun and rewarding over all.
1. Describe two situations that aggravated, bothered, shocked or otherwise stressed you during Drift 1. (Please note that the situation CANNOT be technology-related.)
The first annoying situation that I encountered was when I was trying to record the sound of a flag. First there was the wind that I had to deal with, which I over came the problem by shielding my microphones with a notepad and my hand. Even when I blocked the wind out, the flag sound was wildly unpredictable. There would be very subtle moments, and then it would whip wildly causing it to peak on the recording. I just had to be patient and wait the whole thing out. Another basic annoyance was the traffic. In some recordings I really tried to get some clean ones without a lot of car noises, and I found that it was almost impossible sometimes to get it perfect.
2. Describe, with details, two situations during Drift 1 in which you felt unusually peaceful, at ease, or contemplative.
One situation that was particularly peaceful was when I was recording the melodic wind chimes. While the wind chimes waved it created a harmonious feeling and as I stood still there I felt at peace listening to it bounce in the silence. Another time that I feel peaceful is when I was walking around Kane Street. I don’t know why, but it was really quiet at the time and I felt for the first time there was a whole lot of traffic noise.
3. Describe three surprises or unexpected situations you encountered on your Drift and in the days that followed. The surprise could stem from your expectations that conflicted with "on the ground" realities, cultural or social issues of which you were previously unaware, feelings and reactions that you did not expect to have, appearances and soundings of things you did not expect, good or bad outcomes of "on the spot" decisions you had to make, or the discovery of "deeper" realities in the materials you brought home. (Again, skip anything technology-related!)
The first surprise came when I walked by a church, I really didn’t think I would be able to hear it so far away, but the music was loud, and I could hear it from the sidewalk. Second, I was surprised with how much traffic really clutters the sound of our lives. I was surprised to find how loud traffic really is. I think after awhile we get used to it, so it was a surprise to hear how much louder it was then other daily sounds. Lastly, I was surprised to find how long it takes before you actually get a good recording. It really does take some time to sit and get something good, especially me since I’m so ocd about the thing. I wasn’t satisfied ever and I was surprised to find how long I really did spend on the walk.
4. Describe your favorite experience, situation, place, or recollection from your Drift. Be specific about what happened, how you felt, how you reacted, and why you think this particular experience affected you so much.
The church recording was my favorite experience. I knew right away when I stumbled across the sound that it was going to be a gold recording. The music was so jubilant and it came in so nicely at the time I was really crossing my fingers that everything would work out and my battery wouldn’t die. I actually recorded the longest in the location because of all of the various talking and such. I felt rather weird doing because at the time unlike any other recording really I had so many people walk by me staring while I was doing it. But when I got home downloaded to my computer and took a listen I was deeply satisfied.
Ten Questions:
1. Is there a site that will create a statement?
2. Will the recording feel experimental?
3. Will the video feel cohesive?
4. Can a location provoke more than one thought?
5. Can I create with all the images one sense of place or will it feel like multiple spaces.
6. Can I create a recording that feels juxtapose with the images or will it piece together with them?
7. Can I create my drift #2 with a strong emotional response?
8. Will my drift #2 feel the same way as the first drift?
9. Can a location make a statement via political, social etc etc.?
10 Can this drift walk create a narrative without trying to create one?
1) When I walked down to the beach (Lake Michigan) I recorded the sound of water coming up and out of a hole in the ice next to where the waves were flowing in. I was getting a very clear and interesting sound of the water ‘gurgling’ up through the ice with the flow of the waves, but when the waves stopped, I could not get a sound. This resulted in me having to wait a long time alternating between squatting and kneeling next to the shoreline to record a longer period of gurgle because the waves were not constant. I couldn’t have just left my microphones there either because of the risk of water damage to equipment, so I had to hold the microphones right above the hole in order to catch the sound. Maybe it was low tide, or not windy enough, even though I ended up loving the sounds, it was definitely a difficult process to get that one sound.
Another time I became frustrated was when I went to the River, which was my first stop actually. I had already chosen that particular spot by the river because of my drift strategy and I knew there were promising sounds. When I got to the top of the hill to walk down and go by the river, I noticed that the recent melting had turning the hillside trail into complete mud. Luckily, I was wearing my awesome orange Hunter rain galoshes and had to maneuver my way down by literally sliding and occasionally stepping onto tufts of grass that weren’t totally slush. It worked out, and I eventually found a different way back up the hill.
2) My drift strategy was to walk to each of my chosen ‘water’ locations by the same route I would normally drive to get through North Avenue and down to the Lake Front. I wanted to see a different perspective of a normal route by walking instead of driving. So, I got exactly that. I noticed different things while walking that I had not before. I stayed on the bridge and watched the river underneath for a while, thought about construction in the area and noticed what different businesses were around me, some that I had not previously realized were along North Ave. Although I didn’t record any useful ‘water’ sounds between the River and the Lake, I was able to view that section of non-natural Milwaukee in a way I had not prior.
The main time I felt extreme calm was when I was not recording by the lake. I had recorded the useful sounds in the area where my sound of compacted ice sheet waves came from. This was a small bay area where the Lake pushed thousands of small compacted thin ice slates into one area, it was relaxing to just stand there and hear the sound of waves lightly pushing the ice up onto the shore. This was towards the end of a warmer day, and the combination of cold air blowing off of the lake, warm air blowing down the beach from the west, and the sunset setting in the west made.
3)The beach surprised me the most during my drift walk. I had seen the ice that was at the shoreline when driving by, but when up close and on the ice, I was definitely intimidated of the lake. I don’t know what I expected to see in the water, but when I looked close I noticed the thousands of small thin ice sheets pushed together towards the “mouth” of the mini bay I was standing in front of. My first thought was what would happen if I slipped off the ice into the water, onto the ice slates. I’m not sure if it would have been possible, but the ice slates reminded me of ice razors, and that’s when I became aware of how careful I really needed to be at that location.
On my first ‘water’ stop I chose a location close to the newly built freshman dorm off of North Street. I was unsure of the sounds I could get, but I figured I would go and explore anyway. I was surprised at the variety of water sounds that I heard there. I was able to catch the sound of the freshly-melted river in different forms (the sound of the river next to rocks, and in between pockets of ice, etc.). I also caught an interesting slow but constant drip off of the bridge over head where I was standing. Basically had surprisingly good results from that location.
During my walk in between my two ‘water’ locations I attempted to record interesting sounds. Although I wasn’t planning on getting much, I was shocked by the lack of decent sounds (in my opinion.) I initially planned on recording most of my sounds in my water locations, so I did want to focus on more natural sounds. As it turned out, I wasn’t able to record any natural sounds. But, don’t get me wrong, I still enjoyed the walk.
I would have to say my favorite part of this whole experience was at the beach. I love nature in all of her forms, but there is something about standing next to a great body of water and realizing how little and small you really are as a human being. I drive past Lake Michigan almost everytime I visit back home in Madison. It was literally awe-some, the magnitude of the Lake melting before my eyes. Plus the combination of cold air flowing from the lake while warm air was drafting from the city and the beautiful sunset that occurred that evening made the experience even more divine.
1. Where in Milwaukee can I find more natural(animals, plants, water) sounds and video?
2. If I focused less on the sounds of water and nature could I find really great sounds in a busy cityscape?
3.Should I continue pursuing nature or let the drift control what my focus is?
4. Is it possible to get the sound of plants growing with the microphones I made? Do they make a ‘growing’ sound.
5. Are there any small gardens with fountains that I can explore? What sounds can I find there?
6. Would I get a clearer sound at night or during the day?
7. How will the sounds of the frozen waves differ from those now melted?
8. With the now warm weather what animals can I capture?
9. What kind of variety of flowers can I photograph and maybe compare?
10. Can I make a song out of bird sounds?
These question were suppose to be on the other post with assessment, and some how only copy/pasted the assessment. Just noticed, so am adding this post quick.
My 10 Questions
1. How many different textures can I capture on my next walk?
2. How does the architecture of buildings change as I walk?
3. Are there patterns I can capture?
4. How does the light change, shadows, reflections, from morning to night - throughout the day?
5. Are the areas that I can gather a sound without any traffic?
6. Are there any areas where you can't hear anything but industry, traffic and mechanical noise? - no birds or natural sounds?
7. Are there any buildings that will give me access to a high and panoramic view?
8. Can I capture nature and industry connection and working well together?
9. Are there any spots where natural noise is getting echoed off something man made and visa versa?
10. How many different shapes can I find?
1.Something that bothered me a lot was the pain on my feet. I started walking from the Bradley center all the way to National Avenue, that is a good amount of walking. I was out walking for four hours, so I was pretty exhausted. I had to be standing most of the time. The thing that shocked me the most was this guy that followed me for like 30 minutes. That made me feel so uncomfortable because he kept asking me for money even when I had spared him a few bucks. Then he just left and when on his own way. But that was pretty shocking.
2. I was standing right by the Harley Museum and I just felt so peaceful there. I could hear and see the seagulls flying over me, the traffic going by, and this generator-like sound that were all combined together. For some reason I just felt very peaceful in a weird way. I was getting to know the corner of Canal and 6th street, the place that made me feel peaceful that I was becoming part of the “place.” Another situation was when at was at ease when I was under the bridge. That made me focus on just the sounds from above the expressway and just having that sound made feel at ease because there were no other sounds going on at the same time. I could be very attentive.
3. I was really surprised on how traffic would block the sound I was trying to listen. Traffic was a tricky aspect that I had to work with I order to obtain my footage. I was not expecting that traffic would be such a hard thing to work with. Second, I was standing on the bridge of 6th street right by the Amtrak station and I was surprised on how beautiful the sound of a train is. I would take that for granted before, I was just like it’s just a train. And after that experience when I really listened, I could distinguish different sounds in the sound of a train itself. Lastly, something unexpected that happened was that when I would hear a sound that I would find interesting, I would want to take a snap-shot of that sound I was hearing. Not only did I want to hear but also have record of it. And after I was done sound recording I would take a picture of the subject that was generating the sound of interest.
4.My favorite experience is going to be when I was sitting on the corner of Kilbourn and 4th street. There I could hear the sound of people walking, traffic going by, conversations going on, and that made me feel like I got to know that corner well. Those sounds really sum up a big part of my walk because downtown is busy-noisy. I was really glad there was an event going on in the US Cellular Arena, because downtown is full of events and that for me describes that corner of what that place really is. That was awesome.
10 questions.
1. Can I find a location where I cannot listen to traffic?
2. Is there a location where the only sound is traffic?
3. Is there an occasion where a road appears endless?
4. Is there a sound where I can incorporate my other senses besides sight?
5. How do the sounds change during the night?
6. What area looks the most changed from day to night?
7. How do the street lights manipulate the sound recording?
8. What noises appear different from morning to evening?
9.How would the landscape sound with no traffic?
10. Can find an area where silence is "possible?"
1. Describe two situations that aggravated, bothered, shocked or otherwise stressed you during Drift 1. (Please note that the situation CANNOT be technology-related.)
I was initially stressed with drift 1 because I got a late start on the assignment. Every time I wanted to go on the walk the weather was not cooperative. When I finally did go on the walk it was chilly with occasional rain showers. The second stressor was me actively looking for sounds. I had ideas of where I might find “good” sounds, but that never seemed to be the case. The harder I looked the less likely I was to find interesting sounds.
2. Describe, with details, two situations during Drift 1 in which you felt unusually peaceful, at ease, or contemplative.
As I was leaving the library I noticed a really gentle, yet loud humm coming from a generator. The sound was low enough that it put me at ease. The sound seemed to take over the whole block and it made me wonder if the noise ever goes away, or what people that encounter this noise every day must think. Another occasion on the walk that made me surprisingly happy was walking past the museum and finding a tree filled with songbirds. The day was gloomy so to hear a large group of birds singing and chirping was such a wonderful juxtaposition. I found myself standing there long after I’d captured the sound.
3.Describe three surprises or unexpected situations you encountered on your Drift and in the days that followed.
While I was standing recording the sounds of a Chinese restaurant playing music I encountered the most overwhelming combination of sounds. There was the undertone of soothing Chinese music but on top of that a group of cars sped by, followed by a fire truck, and as the truck passed the bells signaling 6 o’clock started to ring. I only intended to capture the music sound, but I ended up recording much much more. The second encounter was just after that recording. I was crossing the Milwaukee River trying to ignore people giving me weird looks when I spotted a guy off in the distance laughing AT me. Turns out he was on his drift walk too. We had a nice chuckle and wished each other well and were on our ways. It was nice to run into someone else who acknowledged that yes, I look crazy, but I am in fact normal. The third encounter was in the parking garage across from the Art Museum. There were three young men practicing bike polo. It was one of the most unique sports I’ve seen. They were riding around on their bikes hitting a ball with polo sticks. It was really strange to watch them practice because the floors of the garage are slanted to the ball kept rolling towards one end.
4. Describe your favorite experience, situation, place, or recollection from your Drift. Be specific about what happened, how you felt, how you reacted, and why you think this particular experience affected you so much.
My favorite experience of the drift walk was listening to the sounds on the computer. As I was re listening to them it took me back to the place where I recorded. I caught myself hearing things much differently the second time. Some sounds were more intense; others were less. The sound of the men playing bike polo was not nearly as unique as witnessing them playing. It makes me realize that some sounds are better without a visual, others really require sight for the experience.
10 Questions
1. Why is the water so attractive to Milwaukee residents?
2. Where can I find a combination of city and nature sounds?
3. Are there any places where I have a better view of the city?
4. Are there any hidden paths I haven’t taken?
5. What differences are there between night and day downtown?
6. What differences in sound are there on weeknights? Weekdays? Weekends?
7. Are there any places that make a person feel lonely?
8. Are there any buildings with interesting lighting?
9. Is there any interesting public art in the area?
10. How will my experience of drift 1 alter my point of view on drift 2?
1. Describe two situations that aggravated, bothered, shocked or otherwise stressed you during Drift 1.
I would say the thing that aggravated me the most about drift one was the amount of wind I delt with during my walk. The location I chose was pretty wide open. A rather large portion of it was a golf course, so on a windy day it gets pretty nuts. Other than that, everything went pretty well.
2. Describe, with details, two situations during Drift 1 in which you felt unusually peaceful, at ease, or contemplative.
I would say my starting point is the first situation where I felt quite peaceful. Mainly, because I was underground in a golf cart tunnel, with soothing sounds of water dripping from the roof. It was nice, because I was also sheltered from the wind at the same time.
Another situation where I felt peacefull, was during another recording which had water in it. I was recording near a sewer drain where a significant amount of snow was draining into. I think it had to do again with the soothing sounds coming from the water that made it so relaxing and peacefull.
3. Describe three surprises or unexpected situations you encountered on your Drift and in the days that followed. The surprise could stem from your expectations that conflicted with "on the ground" realities, cultural or social issues of which you were previously unaware, feelings and reactions that you did not expect to have, appearances and soundings of things you did not expect, good or bad outcomes of "on the spot" decisions you had to make, or the discovery of "deeper" realities in the materials you brought home.
The first surprise I encountered was during the beginning of my walk. I was crossing an intersection where there was only one car waiting for me to cross. After I crossed, the car continued to stare at me for the longest time. I could not believe it, because there wasn't any cars insight, he just stared at me like I was planting a bomb. I actually had multiple instances like this during my walk.
Another unexpected situation was during the end of my walk. As I was heading home, I could hear this strange buzzing sound. I looked around and there wasn't anything but nature. Then as I walked closer I noticed it was coming from a homes transformer. I was very shocked to see how far my microphones picked it up.
The last surprise I encountered was how clearly I could hear water draining into a sewer. I was a good 50-80 yards away from this one, and I could still clearly hear it with no problems.
4. Describe your favorite experience, situation, place, or recollection from your Drift. Be specific about what happened, how you felt, how you reacted, and why you think this particular experience affected you so much.
My favorite situation from my drift was during my first recording. It was so peaceful, and I could have stood there forever. This was from the underground tunnel I mentioned earlier, but the sounds I could here were fascinating. I think it had to do with the echo effect from the tunnel which kind of distorted the sounds coming from outside. And, on top of that; I had the soothing sounds from a single water drop falling into a puddle.
1. Will I hear more pleasent sounds from this new location?
2. Will water sound better with more, or less wind?
3. Am I going to be able to capture sounds with no human activity in them?
4. Where can I go to record the most silent of all sounds?
5. What will the best part of the day be to capture nature at its best?
6. Will the morning be louder than the evening?
7. Is it possible to not capture any type of sound?
8. Will I encounter any similar sounds to drift 1?
9. What recordings will sound interesting with an added effect to them?
10. What is the most creative way to walk this location?
1. Describe two situations that aggravated, bothered, shocked or otherwise stressed you during Drift 1. (Please note that the situation CANNOT be technology-related.)
I was a little frusterated on Lyon Street when the cars just seemed to keep coming and I didn't get a lot of the quiet I wanted. I was also frusterated when, at the end of my last walk, I seemed to keep going in circles.
2. Describe, with details, two situations during Drift 1 in which you felt unusually peaceful, at ease, or contemplative.
A peaceful time was also on Lyon when I was listening to the birds. This was peaceful and put me at ease, because it seemed like a nice residential area in the city and it reminded me of my neighborhood that I grew up in. Another thing that I enjoyed was going down streets (such as Lyon) that I haven't gone down before, and otherwise just being more observant of my surroundings, even in places that I've been before.
3. Describe three surprises or unexpected situations you encountered on your Drift and in the days that followed. The surprise could stem from your expectations that conflicted with "on the ground" realities, cultural or social issues of which you were previously unaware, feelings and reactions that you did not expect to have, appearances and soundings of things you did not expect, good or bad outcomes of "on the spot" decisions you had to make, or the discovery of "deeper" realities in the materials you brought home. (Again, skip anything technology-related!)
Something that surprises me is that both wind and traffic can sound really heavy and loud in a recording. I also didn't expect to hear myself as much on the recordings. Even when you think you are moving quietly, the mics are picking it up and it's heard on the playback. Third, I think it was unexpected that I didn't travel as far as I thought I would. Five five-minute recordings actually took some time.
4. Describe your favorite experience, situation, place, or recollection from your Drift. Be specific about what happened, how you felt, how you reacted, and why you think this particular experience affected you so much.
I would say being on Lyon Street listening to the birds was the best, as it reminded me of my childhood home, and that is usually a soothing, nice experience.
1.) What can you see when looking up?
2.) What are the tiniest things that look interesting?
3.) What are close spaces that can be explored (like between two buildings)?
4.) Are there any changes in elevation?
5.) What is stationary and what is not?
6.) How many dead ends are there?
7.) What are the flattest objects around?
8.) What are the closest places that have the most differences?
9.) How many places are NOT residences?
10.) What places have a lack of people?
Curses. I had everything written out and saved on a Word Document, but I totally forgot to post this until now. Sigh. Well, here it is.
1. Describe two situations that aggravated, bothered, shocked or otherwise stressed you during Drift 1. (Please note that the situation CANNOT be technology-related.)
When I first started out on my Drift 1 walk, the weather was about 20 degrees and it soon became too painful and difficult to press the buttons on my recorder and my camera. I had to give up after 45 minutes and start again another time.
The second time, shortly after starting over, I heard a cat meowing and it sounded like it was hurt or afraid. I like cats, so I was concerned and started looking for it. I never did see it though, and it stopped meowing after a while. I hope it’s okay.
2. Describe, with details, two situations during Drift 1 in which you felt unusually peaceful, at ease, or contemplative.
In the woods, I started recording on top of a hill by the creek. It was relatively calm and far from traffic, and I could see distant greenhouses and a barn through the trees. All I heard were the creek, wind through the trees, twigs crackling, a bird or two.
At the railroad bridge, when I went under the bridge, I could hear the water echoing inside the bridge and not much else. It’s a nice little enclosure, the kind of place bats and homeless people would like. It was oddly relaxing.
3. Describe three surprises or unexpected situations you encountered on your Drift and in the days that followed. The surprise could stem from your expectations that conflicted with "on the ground" realities, cultural or social issues of which you were previously unaware, feelings and reactions that you did not expect to have, appearances and soundings of things you did not expect, good or bad outcomes of "on the spot" decisions you had to make, or the discovery of "deeper" realities in the materials you brought home. (Again, skip anything technology-related!)
During the walk, I was annoyed that I could still hear traffic no matter how far away from the roads I got, and it showed up on my recordings. However, when I asked my sister to help me sort out the sounds (because the tracks got jumbled out of order), she told me that the “traffic” noise was actually wind, to my surprise.
I’d say the cat was another one, accompanied by a dog. I was about 500 feet away from the nearest house, and I wasn’t expecting to hear pets in the area. But there was a farm nearby, so that may have been where they came from.
While recording on top of the hill, I was startled by a train horn and wheeled around to see a big yellow train heading down the tracks about 200 feet away. Good thing I wasn’t on the railroad bridge at that time.
4. Describe your favorite experience, situation, place, or recollection from your Drift. Be specific about what happened, how you felt, how you reacted, and why you think this particular experience affected you so much.
I’d say my favorite place was the railroad bridge near Forest Hill, mainly because I just like railroad bridges. I find a lot of very interesting (admittedly oftentimes disgusting) stuff around bridges, like graffiti and trash. You’d be surprised what people lose or forget in these places. I like to explore under the bridges, see if I can spot a small animal or an unusual rock, or maybe tracks parts (like nails and tie plates); and just listen to the echo of the running water.
In this particular bridge, there was no graffiti, although someone had thrown away a long strip of yellow plastic off to the side, next to the creek. Somehow it reminded me of a crime scene investigation. The only thing missing was a chalk outline. This bridge also had another crude wooden “bridge” next to it, comprised mostly of planks and I-beams; and it was bordered by a wire railing. They provided a lot of interesting sounds—creaks, clinks, clanks, twangs, clops, etc.—basically, the kinds of sounds that wood and metal would make.
My Questions:
1. Could I find any human sounds or images within the woods?
2. How about “woodsy” sounds or images within suburban settings? (e.g., twigs, birds or squirrels, leaves rustling).
3. Does the creek south of Drexel lead to anyplace interesting?
4. How about the pathways on the nearby park?
5. Are there any small enclaves I could place the mics in to obtain a unique sound?
6. What kind of animals might I encounter near a farm or a suburban home?
7. What would I find if I were to record or film extremely early in the morning, long before anyone else wakes up (say, 5 AM)?
8. Does garbage make any particular noise? Like plastic bags, candy wrappers, tins, etc.
9. Are there any abandoned buildings or “hidden” bridges I could explore?
10. What kind of effects would the sun reflecting off certain things create—e.g., metal, water, etc.?
1. One situation that bothered me during drift one was that there was construction on and around a bridge I was planning on crossing, so I had to re-route my drift. Another was that there were a lot fewer people out than I had hypothesized would be, considering how nice of a day it was.
2. I felt peaceful and calm when I made the short walk across Marquette Park, the once daunting feeling of the task at hand was gone. The feeling came again at my last stop in Cathedral Square.
3. I didn't realize how loud and constant the hum of traffic is in and near the city. I am so used to tuning it out that I stopped realizing that it even exists. I was also surprised at how windy Milwaukee can get, I never thought of the breezes as so strong.
4. I liked my last stop in Cathedral Square. You see, I determined how long I would stay in a single location based on how long it took me to sketch my surroundings. I noticed that the people approaching me from behind who could see the drawing were noticeably kinder than the people who approached me from the front, who just saw that I had a pen and notebook. I liked this because I have always been interested in psychology and studying the fear of the unknown.
5. The Questions:
a. Is there I place I can explore more in depth that doesn't have a constant drone?
b. Can I record an area while walking without the walking sounds getting in the way?
c. Is there a place I can wander inside and feel the differences (or mostly, the similarities) of the environments?
d. Would the sounds of suburbia be more useful to me?
e. Where would be the best place outside of the city to photograph repetition?
f. Where would be the best place in the city to photograph organic forms?
g. What natural forms or unintentional structures resemble letters?
h. Is it possible to record at the lake without being overwhelmed by wind?
i. What is the most structurally similar and organized gated community I can walk through?
j. When does grass return to its normal colour?
1. Describe two situations that aggravated, bothered, shocked or otherwise stressed you during Drift 1. (Please note that the situation CANNOT be technology-related.)
I was mostly aggravated with the weather that day. It was very, very cold outside which affected how long I was able to stay outside. I was also aggravated with the fact that I couldn't really find good sounds without all of the traffic noises drowning them out.
2. Describe, with details, two situations during Drift 1 in which you felt unusually peaceful, at ease, or contemplative.
I probably felt the most peaceful during the times that I was on the bike/walking path away from a lot of the traffic noise. Even though I could still hear cars in the distance, I was glad to hear a few birds chirping nearby. Another time was when I was on Brady Street. There was a lot of commotion and traffic noise, but I was able to catch the faint music playing from a cafe nearby. The music was rather calming and made the mood a lot lighter.
3. Describe three surprises or unexpected situations you encountered on your Drift and in the days that followed. The surprise could stem from your expectations that conflicted with "on the ground" realities, cultural or social issues of which you were previously unaware, feelings and reactions that you did not expect to have, appearances and soundings of things you did not expect, good or bad outcomes of "on the spot" decisions you had to make, or the discovery of "deeper" realities in the materials you brought home. (Again, skip anything technology-related!)
The biggest surprise to me was how much I could really hear with my headphones on. A lot of noises that I usually wouldn't hear, were amplified, such as water dripping or birds chirping. Another surprise was how much time it took to really find a recording that was of interest to me. Although there were several traffic noises all around me, I was really focused on trying to find something unique in this urban setting. However, I realized that I should not set my expectations too high and just take whatever is before me.
4. Describe your favorite experience, situation, place, or recollection from your Drift. Be specific about what happened, how you felt, how you reacted, and why you think this particular experience affected you so much.
My favorite experience would have to be during the time I spent on the bike path. The sounds of the city were a lot more muffled, which also made for a nice change of scenery. I walked along this trail for quite some time. Even though I wasn't catching too many interesting sounds, it was nice to get away from all the hustle and walk through a much more simplistic area.
10 questions:
1. Are the sounds different at night?
2. Are there any hidden areas?
3. What are the sounds like at a higher elevation?
4. Is there a time of day when the traffic noises are less chaotic?
5. Are there any sounds that will lead me somewhere new?
6. Am I able to hear more nature sounds in this urban location?
7. Are there any buildings nearby that I could explore?
8. Are there any areas in which my sounds would echo?
9. Is there any way I could get below a sound?
10. How can I accurately capture my sounds in still and moving images?
1. Describe two situations that aggravated, bothered, shocked or otherwise stressed you during Drift 1. (Please note that the situation CANNOT be technology-related.) Two situations that aggravated me during drift 1 were handling noise and inconsistent traffic sounds (loud cars and quiet cars) 2. Describe, with details, two situations during Drift 1 in which you felt unusually peaceful, at ease, or contemplative. I don't think I ever felt unusually peaceful at any given time, except for during the first part of my walk when I was out in the cold and it was really quiet and I could hear EVERYTHING. 3. Describe three surprises or unexpected situations you encountered on your Drift and in the days that followed. The surprise could stem from your expectations that conflicted with "on the ground" realities, cultural or social issues of which you were previously unaware, feelings and reactions that you did not expect to have, appearances and soundings of things you did not expect, good or bad outcomes of "on the spot" decisions you had to make, or the discovery of "deeper" realities in the materials you brought home. (Again, skip anything technology-related!) Going back and listening to my recordings was interesting and I was surprised at how clear some of the sounds came out, how badly some of the sounds came out, and how loud the city actually was. 4. Describe your favorite experience, situation, place, or recollection from your Drift. Be specific about what happened, how you felt, how you reacted, and why you think this particular experience affected you so much. Honestly I was relieved to be done with the walk. I did however enjoy going back out on my second walk and finding the first signs of spring in the form of birds in the trees and the sound of laughter from construction workers as they were starting to add onto a house. It was just a sign that spring will soon be here, and I was relieved.
1. Where can I record that has no sound?
2. Where can I record that has too much sound?
3. What kind of sounds would I get if I recorded on the bus?
4. What places do people go when its cold outside?
5. What places do people go when its warm outside?
6. Why do hamsters run on those little wheels?
7. Can I record someone drinking water without them laughing?
8. How long would it take to walk the lakefront from Milwaukee to Lake Bluff?
9. Are concerts off limits this walk?
10. Can we team up on this walk?
1. Describe two situations that aggravated, bothered, shocked or otherwise stressed you during Drift 1. (Please note that the situation CANNOT be technology-related.)
> It bothered me when I would be going on my path and would see a potentially good sound such as two girls walking dogs but then they walked the other way out of my paths course. Also the bag I decided to bring along made a lot of noise that I noticed when recording sounds especially when I was still walking.
2. Describe, with details, two situations during Drift 1 in which you felt unusually peaceful, at ease, or contemplative.
>Even though I didn't use the recording from when I sat under this tree for an hour right on the shore of the pond it was a such a pleasant experience for all of my senses. There was a faint coo of a seagull and the water was slowly melting as a sat under a little umbrella like tree that seemed made for sitting under.
3. Describe three surprises or unexpected situations you encountered on your Drift and in the days that followed. The surprise could stem from your expectations that conflicted with "on the ground" realities, cultural or social issues of which you were previously unaware, feelings and reactions that you did not expect to have, appearances and soundings of things you did not expect, good or bad outcomes of "on the spot" decisions you had to make, or the discovery of "deeper" realities in the materials you brought home. (Again, skip anything technology-related!)
>I really underestimated the time span for the walk. When we would talk in class about going on three hour walks I thought to myself that seems like too much but once I was out there I wanted to stay for the whole day. The park itself was just a peaceful place for a walk and on the sound recording aspect I always wanted more.
4. Describe your favorite experience, situation, place, or recollection from your Drift. Be specific about what happened, how you felt, how you reacted, and why you think this particular experience affected you so much.
>Aside from my peaceful experience under the umbrella tree I mentioned earlier, I really liked sitting on the steps that led down into the frozen pond where the geese were. The old man began to feed them and they all crowded around. Personally its the best looking area of the park and I love close encounters with animals. I really enjoyed that part of the walk.
TEN QUESTIONS:
1. What visually represents me as an artist?
2. What area can provide the most unique sounds?
3. Is the area heavily populated?
4. What kind of animals are in the area?
5. Do many cars pass through?
6. Are there lots of hills or is it fairly flat?
7. Do you have any memories there that you will try and portray? Or is the area new to you?
8. What time of day is best to capture the area visually?
9. What visual patterns can I make that can parallel audible patterns?
10. What theme or element will connect my images and sounds?
1. Describe two situations that aggravated, bothered, shocked or otherwise stressed you during Drift 1. (Please note that the situation CANNOT be technology-related.)
During Drift 1, I was disappointed that I was not able to hear more nature sounds. The winter provides such quietness. The few bird calls that I heard were not what I was hoping for.
When I was out in the woods, I found that no matter how far away from the city you try to go, the city always has an influence.
2. Describe, with details, two situations during Drift 1 in which you felt unusually peaceful, at ease, or contemplative.
Walking through the woods always makes me peaceful but I have never walked through the wood with the goal of finding interesting sounds. I thought the experience of patiently waiting and listening for sounds made the surroundings much more meaningful. Secondly, a few times I placed the recorder in a spot and walked away. Listening to those sounds once I was home complemented the experience and made me realize how awesome nature is.
3. Describe three surprises or unexpected situations you encountered on your Drift and in the days that followed. The surprise could stem from your expectations that conflicted with "on the ground" realities, cultural or social issues of which you were previously unaware, feelings and reactions that you did not expect to have, appearances and soundings of things you did not expect, good or bad outcomes of "on the spot" decisions you had to make, or the discovery of "deeper" realities in the materials you brought home. (Again, skip anything technology-related!)
1. No matter how far you go to get away from the city, the city always has an influence on the environment.
2. Only a few animals were out
3. How cool water can sound.
4. Describe your favorite experience, situation, place, or recollection from your Drift. Be specific about what happened, how you felt, how you reacted, and why you think this particular experience affected you so much.
I really enjoyed sitting on the boardwalk, surrounded by crows. Crows have never been of interest to me because they are a common species in the city, however, out in the woods they are in a different environment and I was able to watch the way they interacted with each other. Once I was spotted, the crows called to each other to let them know where I was. The calls were a steady rhythm until I moved. When I moved, the crows would get excited and the calls became louder and more frequent until I found a new spot and stayed still. It was interesting being in the woods alone but realizing that you are being watched from all directions.
1. Is there any abandon man-made equipment that nature has incorporated into its community?
2. Are there any new, spring growth?
3. Are there any animal paths?
4. Are there any creatures besides birds that have come out of hiding?
5. Are there areas that were once accessible to walk on but now water is too high?
6. Are there any people walking the area?
7. Are there any interesting sounds that I didn’t hear before?
8. Do the trees provide shading that they didn’t before?
9. Are the sounds more pleasing to the ear or more distracting?
10. How many different kinds of birds are heard?
1. Describe two situations that aggravated, bothered, shocked or otherwise stressed you during Drift 1. (Please note that the situation CANNOT be technology-related.)
One of the situations that bothered me was that the first location that I had chosen was very poor because it was all traffic nose that I had captured. The second thing that bothered me was that when I choose my second location was that it took a lot longer than I had hoped for because the area is less populated.
2. Describe, with details, two situations during Drift 1 in which you felt unusually peaceful, at ease, or contemplative.
My most favorite situation was when I was at the pond listening to the birds. It was one of our first nice days and there was nothing going on. It was just very peaceful. The second location that I liked a lot was with the wind chimes. The lady with the wind chimes that I met was very nice to me and it made for a very nice experience.
3. Describe three surprises or unexpected situations you encountered on your Drift and in the days that followed. The surprise could stem from your expectations that conflicted with "on the ground" realities, cultural or social issues of which you were previously unaware, feelings and reactions that you did not expect to have, appearances and soundings of things you did not expect, good or bad outcomes of "on the spot" decisions you had to make, or the discovery of "deeper" realities in the materials you brought home. (Again, skip anything technology-related!)
Well the first thing that was unexpected was that the first location that I chose was so bad. I did not expect to get just traffic noise. Another situation that was unexpected was how long capturing the items that I wanted took. I thought that it would be a lot easier to get a lot of different noises. The third item that was unexpected was how nice it was when I was able to go out. The sun was shining and it was somewhat warm. I thought that it was very nice.
4. Describe your favorite experience, situation, place, or recollection from your Drift. Be specific about what happened, how you felt, how you reacted, and why you think this particular experience affected you so much.
I think that the situation with the birds was my favorite. I was just sitting on the grass watching and listening to the birds. It was a little windy but it was very relaxing. I did not want to leave there.
1. Are there any ponds where birds may be?
2. Is there a busy road?
3. Will there be piles of leaves or snow?
4. Will anyone be doing some outside work?
5. Are the roads all straight?
6. What is the difference between here and somewhere a little less busy?
7. Are there animals in the area?
8. Is there any wind chimes around?
9. Are there street signs everywhere?
10. Will it take a while or will it be a shorter walk?
1. Describe two situations that aggravated, bothered, shocked or otherwise stressed you during Drift (Please note that the situation CANNOT be technology-related.)
Although much of my aggravation, bother, shock and stress with Drift 1 did arise from technology related issues, two other factors were weather and the law.
I knew when I developed my Drift 1 strategy that I was in for a long walk and I would need to wait for the right weather to embark on my journey. Despite knowing this up front, I still found it difficult to plan Drift 1 not only around my school and work schedules, but also around mother nature. After three tentative dates were shot down due to cold weather and precipitation, I was beginning to wonder if I would ever get to complete my walk. I checked the weather report for March 4th and as far I could tell the weather was finally going to be in my favor. I decided that even if something unexpected were to arise, I was going to complete my walk on this date. Luckily the weather report was accurate and I was finally able to embark on my walk without any complications. In fact, I would say that the weather was nearly ideal, with clear skies and temps in the mid 40s. It felt like we were on the brink of spring and that this translated to my recordings.
One completely unexpected complication was encountering a police officer at my start point and first recording. Luckily I had already completed my recording when I was approached. The officer informed me that I was on private property and needed to move along. When I stated that there were no signs posted to this effect, she advised me that the railroad tracks were owned by the railroad company and I decided not to press the issue. I found myself feeling somewhat paranoid at my next two recording sites as I could see where they also could be considered somewhat off-limits for recording, but the prospect of interesting sounds were just too good to pass up. Once again luck was on my side as I didn't have any other run-ins with the police while completing the remainder of my recordings.
2. Describe, with details, two situations during Drift 1 in which you felt unusually peaceful, at ease, or contemplative.
As I mentioned above, my first three recordings were completed with a certain level of paranoia after encountering a police officer. Part of me wanted to play it safe and stay off the railroad tracks but as this was a major element of my project, I decided to compete the recordings anyways. For my final two recordings not only was I off what remains of the railroad line, but the recording sites themselves seemed to have a more inviting and peaceful feel to them.
My fourth recording was completed in front of Discovery World where there are several public, interactive art exhibits on display. Not only was this a public space, the art on display there was inviting me to interact with it! This of course, was in stark contrast to my first three recordings. Both the playfulness of interacting with these works and the fact that there were other people present made me feel at peace. It was almost as if I wasn't even working on a project. I just felt like a kid playing in the park in spring.
My final recording alongside Veterans Park Pond was also a very peaceful and serene experience. Despite cars zooming by on Lincoln Memorial Drive, the most prominent sounds were natural. The combination of birds chirping and wind rustling through grass and trees was very calming. Looking back, this variation in sounds seems to have a natural progression (or perhaps regression) from the beginning to the end of my walk.
3. Describe three surprises or unexpected situations you encountered on your Drift and in the days that followed. The surprise could stem from your expectations that conflicted with "on the ground" realities, cultural or social issues of which you were previously unaware, feelings and reactions that you did not expect to have, appearances and soundings of things you did not expect, good or bad outcomes of "on the spot" decisions you had to make, or the discovery of "deeper" realities in the materials you brought home. (Again, skip anything technology-related!)
There were many experiences that I encountered throughout Drift 1 which could be described as surprising or unexpected. Below are what I feel to be the three most significant.
1. Discovering that the at least a portion of the railroad line I was walking still existed. Although I noticed many sets of tracks while examining my route on google maps, I didn't realize that mine still existed until I arrived at my starting point.
2. As I previously mentioned, encountering complications with the law was definitely something that I wasn't prepared for. I'm still unsure if someone from the scrapyard phoned the police due to “suspicious activity” or if it was just a random patrol. Either way this added elements of paranoia and anxiety to Drift 1 which were completely unexpected.
3. After my Drift 1 walk was completed, while reviewing and editing my raw recordings, I was surprised to find sections that were apparently stronger than others. I had a bit of a preconceived notion that any one segment could be just as good as another. Throughout the editing process I started discovering logical fade points and points in between which I then extracted for review. Through much review I was able to decide on my final edits which I feel are strong representations of my Drift 1 walk.
4. Describe your favorite experience, situation, place, or recollection from your Drift. Be specific about what happened, how you felt, how you reacted, and why you think this particular experience affected you so much.
My favorite experience from Drift 1 would be walking on the remains of the train tracks on the east side of the river to where they obscurely ended near a parking lot. This was after I had completed my first three recordings and I was happy with what I had captured and experienced. This section of the tracks was relatively secluded, running through an open field for about ½ of a mile. Walking the tracks made me feel like I was really accomplishing what I had set out to do. I tried to imagine what the landscape would have looked like all those years back. I began to realize how far we've come technologically. I imagined what it would be like to travel back in time with all of my fancy technology. What would I be able to tell people about the year 2009. Would they believe me? What warnings could I give to them about the groundwork they were laying for our country and our way of life? Would they listen?
10 Questions:
1. What type of visual and sonic experiences does one encounter in Walker's Point, the 3rd Ward and the 5th Ward?
2. Does the history of these locations alone cause the observer to have more profound experiences?
3. Does the combination of history and a more recent revitalization of these locations cause the observer to have more profound experiences?
4. What is the role of “green spaces” in these locations?
5. How do I envision these locations in the near and not so near future?
6. How does observing these locations differ from my normal day to day observations generally within a few miles of my home?
7. What are the most commonly observed sounds and images in these locations?
8. What are the least commonly observed sounds and images in these locations?
9. Being relatively close in proximity, are there significant differences in sound and imagery from location to location?
10. After spending a substantial amount of time observing these different areas of Milwaukee, are there apparent areas in need of improvement such as more or less green spaces, public art, revitalization, clean-up efforts, residential or commercial buildings, etc.?
1. Describe two situations that aggravated, bothered, shocked or otherwise stressed you during Drift 1. (Please note that the situation CANNOT be technology-related.) - I had a problem with the weather. I have big hands to begin with, add gloves on top of that, there is no way that I can manage all of those buttons on the equipment. So the beautiful and always unqexpectable cold Wisconsin weather is something that just made my drift one harder for me to manage.
-The constant hum that is a large conglomeration of people. That hum that was so ever present in many of my audio clips really started to wear down on me as I was trying to hone in on something different and beautiful, only to have it covered up by a bus passing by a block down the road. 2. Describe, with details, two situations during Drift 1 in which you felt unusually peaceful, at ease, or contemplative. - I personally enjoyed anytime that I was in transit and the world wasn’t in transit around me. I felt alone. This just gave my mind a chance to dance around inside itself and be carefree as to what I wanted and or needed, saw or heard, or any part of life that was bothering me or enlightening me.
- While I was waiting for one of my friends to meet me at the dead end road that we usually hang out at is where nothing in the world bothered me. I felt comfortable and at peace because I was in the middle of a field of woods and marsh lands. Able to smell the earth around me and see the stars above me. But still able to realize that I am a part of a society with every train that I could see chug along by only a few hundred yards away. Or the lights of a warehouse just visible through the trees. I feel like I am on the edge of the world. Ready to chose whether to be a part of human society, or go against it.
3. Describe three surprises or unexpected situations you encountered on your Drift and in the days that followed. The surprise could stem from your expectations that conflicted with "on the ground" realities, cultural or social issues of which you were previously unaware, feelings and reactions that you did not expect to have, appearances and soundings of things you did not expect, good or bad outcomes of "on the spot" decisions you had to make, or the discovery of "deeper" realities in the materials you brought home. (Again, skip anything technology-related!) -How quickly and suddenly the feelings as a whole that things change from block to block. While on Water St things seem so lively, people are running from building to building, seemingly in a good mood. While if you only go a good 4 blocks north onto the other side of Juneau Ave, everything seemed a lot more weighed down. Could have been the lack of people or the lack of color in the buildings, but something just seemed dull. It surprised me how often it changed.
-The Sociology of everything. Seeing how one group of people interacted to the next group was stunning. Granted yes, I was already aware of such differences as these, but when you completely take yourself out of the social standings and just as an outside viewer, everything seems new.
-The let down of what my ear was telling me that I was hearing compared to what was actually recorded. Granted, this was through no fault of my equipment or anything of the sort, they were doing their job. But just realizing how much we filter out without even having to think about it. Kinda makes you wonder what else you filter out because it is so regular to you that if you experienced it again it would feel new.
4. Describe your favorite experience, situation, place, or recollection from your Drift. Be specific about what happened, how you felt, how you reacted, and why you think this particular experience affected you so much.
-Simply the feeling of escaping, of being alone in a metropolis completely surrounded by people and things. But still feeling like you are the only one there. That is something that fell in love with. Granted yes, I don’t want to be alone in my life, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t want times when I can just get away. This just brought to my attention that instead of heading out into the middle of nowhere, I can lose and find myself just a couple miles away from where I sleep at night. Makes the world seem a little smaller and that much less threatening. The possibility of having everything we ever wanted or needing so close that we can just reach out and grab them, but at the exact same time, so far away that we don’t know they are there.
10 Questions
-Will I find a place where I feel alone in a crowd, no matter the time or weather.
-Is there a road or ally that has long since been forgotten.
-Will I be able to make the ordinary seem beautiful and exotic.
-Can I make the exotic seem close to home and familiar.
-Will I find something that I will carry with me for the rest of my life.
-Can a man made place no longer be maintained by mans hands.
-Will artificial lights be more beautiful than natural light in some locations.
-Will I find something completely unique in a cookie-cutter situation
-Do I want to do a mile wide and an inch down, or and inch wide and mile down.
-How drastically will things change the audio, visual and aesthetics between sunrise, day, sunset and night.
1. Describe two situations that aggravated, bothered, shocked or otherwise stressed you during Drift (Please note that the situation CANNOT be technology-related.)
One frustrating aspect was the weather and being able to actually got outside and record anything. A second problem I had was being able to remember the spots as to where the sounds happened. I had my notebook to write things down but sometimes I had a hard time writing things down without any harder surface to write on.
2. Describe, with details, two situations during Drift 1 in which you felt unusually peaceful, at ease, or contemplative.
When I was listening to the sounds as they where recording felt really peaceful and made me at ease. Just going for the actual walk was very peaceful and relaxing to just be able to walk and listen to my surroundings.
3. Describe three surprises or unexpected situations you encountered on your Drift and in the days that followed. The surprise could stem from your expectations that conflicted with "on the ground" realities, cultural or social issues of which you were previously unaware, feelings and reactions that you did not expect to have, appearances and soundings of things you did not expect, good or bad outcomes of "on the spot" decisions you had to make, or the discovery of "deeper" realities in the materials you brought home. (Again, skip anything technology-related!)
One think that literally surprised me was the dog that I recorded for one of my sounds. I was coming around the corner and the dog instantly started to bark at me before I even knew he was there. Another time was when my lab was having the first critic session when it come to my turn and I said I was already all done. My instructor looked at me with an expression on his face of “huh you’re done” then preceded to ask me if I showed up to any of the help sessions, of course I said no because I hadn’t. After looking at my Drift 1 and hearing that people liked it and that it was good. I was kind of surprised because I thought I was going to have to redo most of it cause of how easy it was to me. A Third was when I was actually listening to the sounds I had recorded and realizing that there are so many sounds around us all the time that we don’t really pay any attention to.
4. Describe your favorite experience, situation, place, or recollection from your Drift. Be specific about what happened, how you felt, how you reacted, and why you think this particular experience affected you so much.
My lab was having the first critic session when it came to my turn and I said I was already all done. My instructor looked at me with an expression on his face of “huh you’re done” then preceded to ask me if I showed up to any of the help sessions, of course I said no because I hadn’t. After looking at my Drift 1 and hearing that people liked it and that it was good. I was kind of surprised because I thought I was going to have to redo most of it cause of how easy it was to me. It took me by surprise and shock but in the end it made me feel good to know that I did all of it without any help and it was good and only had a few minor corrects such as under dashes instead of spaces in my file names.
After writing and reflecting upon your assessment answers, come up with ten questions that best address the aspects of your Drift process you are most interested in pursuing further in Drift 2.
1) Was there any other sounds I could have gotten if I had just turned left when I actually turned right?
2) How many street signs did I pass during my walk?
3) Where can I find the most unique sound in my drift area?
4) How many other types of sounds can I find?
5) What other sites can I see when walking my drift?
6) What kinds of architectural buildings are in my drift area?
7) Are there any unique sights along my drift area?
8) Can I get closer to the sounds then last time in my drift?
9) Are there any potential areas in my drift that stick out from all the others?
10) Are there any landmarks in my drift area?
1. Describe two situations that aggravated, bothered, shocked or otherwise stressed you during Drift 1. (Please note that the situation CANNOT be technology-related.)
The first occurred when I was recording what would become the post "The Walls in the Mall". I believe I described this instance in the post: I had to cut my recording short because I saw two mall cops stare me down for about a minute then begin to head my way. Not so scary, but my animal instincts led to to 'flight', as usual (in respect to the authorities). The second aggravating situation was the wind - both on a technological and a personal level. It was a damn bitter cold Wisconsin winter day, and I found it increasingly hard to work as time went on...my hands were becoming numb; I could hardly even push down the tips of the alligator clips by the end.
2. Describe, with details, two situations during Drift 1 in which you felt unusually peaceful, at ease, or contemplative.
Listening to the seagulls along the river was very quaint. A nice sign of spring (though recent weather would prove otherwise, I'd say). Also, walking through the small, urban park was a nice change of scenery from the metal-concrete playground I was in. It allowed my a brief respite from the city, even if it was a bit artificial.
3. Describe three surprises or unexpected situations you encountered on your Drift and in the days that followed. The surprise could stem from your expectations that conflicted with "on the ground" realities, cultural or social issues of which you were previously unaware, feelings and reactions that you did not expect to have, appearances and soundings of things you did not expect, good or bad outcomes of "on the spot" decisions you had to make, or the discovery of "deeper" realities in the materials you brought home. (Again, skip anything technology-related!)
I was surprised at how many people I saw outside in that weather. People walking around, talking, drinking cocoa, trying to abscond the harsh realities of, once again, the Wisconsin winter.
A strange racial instance that I couldn't help but notice: the only black people I saw were either working, eating at the Grand Avenue Mall, or on the south side of the highway (and the west side of the river). Coincidence, or "social city planning"? I can't say...
Lastly, I was surprised at the relative calm of the city. Yes there were more people on the sidewalks than I expected, but there was also a notable lack of cars (except for on the freeway). I can only speculate as to why that was...
4. Describe your favorite experience, situation, place, or recollection from your Drift. Be specific about what happened, how you felt, how you reacted, and why you think this particular experience affected you so much.
Easily, my favorite experience was sitting in the port-o-potty in the hopes that someone would knock on the door and give me a great sound. It was premeditated, yes, but I still get a laugh out of what I did just to complete a project for school.
1. Do personal biases effect what you do and do not see/hear?
2. Is spontaneity better than planned recording?
3. Is what we are doing a real "derive" as Guy Debord said, or just schoolwork? Or a mixture, even?
4. How do I decide when it's time to stop my drift? Is it entirely based on a feeling of "doneness"?
5. What standards can be used to judge what is captured, beyond technical quality, that will not subjective?
6. Is "natural" better to capture than "artificial"?
7. Why do we "drift"?
8. Can a drift be a very personal experience, or is there a limit?
9. How many reflective surfaces can one find in a minute? Ten minutes?
10. When is it best to start a drift?
1. Describe two situations that aggravated, bothered, shocked or otherwise stressed you during Drift 1. (Please note that the situation CANNOT be technology-related.) One situation where I felt stressed during drift one was when I was trying to cross a creek in the woods by way of a fallen tree trunk that had fallen over it. I had to balance my way over and worry about all my equipment at the same time. Another time that made me aggravated was when it started to rain half way through my drift. However, the rain turned out to be a good thing because I recorded some runoff and used that recording for one of my final posts.
2. Describe, with details, two situations during Drift 1 in which you felt unusually peaceful, at ease, or contemplative. The recording I got of the Canadian goose honking made me feel unusually peaceful. Normally when I think of a Canadian goose, only negative things come to mind. But when I was listening through my microphones the natural fades created by the distance it was moving away from me were very peaceful. One noise that made me feel contemplative was the recording that I got inside a pipe. The reason it made me feel contemplative was because I wanted to figure out why it was making that sound.
3. Describe three surprises or unexpected situations you encountered on your Drift and in the days that followed. The surprise could stem from your expectations that conflicted with "on the ground" realities, cultural or social issues of which you were previously unaware, feelings and reactions that you did not expect to have, appearances and soundings of things you did not expect, good or bad outcomes of "on the spot" decisions you had to make, or the discovery of "deeper" realities in the materials you brought home. (Again, skip anything technology-related!) One surprise I experienced was when a man driving a van saw us recording him, and instead of being freaked out, he burned out in his van for us to make our recording more interesting. Another surprise was when I was trying to record the sound of birds. A beautiful woodpecker with a red head flew onto a tree right next to me. But much to my disappointment, he did not drill. Last, Two men were unloading a truck on a metal platform with a cart. The racket they made was surprisingly musical, and I had to record it.
4. Describe your favorite experience, situation, place, or recollection from your Drift. Be specific about what happened, how you felt, how you reacted, and why you think this particular experience affected you so much. If I had to choose one recording to sum up the experiences I got on my first drift it would have to be the birds I captured in Downer Woods. It affected me so because it was comforting to know that among such an urban landscape, I could find nature right in my neck of the woods.
10 Questions
1. Are there any places with reflections or that reflect?
2. Are there any unique architectural buildings?
3. Are there any patterns or designs on the ground?
4. Are there any city lights?
5. Is there a place where nature seems confined in the area?
6. Are there sounds that draw me to a location?
7. Are there any formations that look like an animal or person?
8. Is "natural" better to capture than "artificial"?
9. Why do we "drift"?
10. Do personal biases effect what you do and do not see/hear?
1. Describe two situations that aggravated, bothered, shocked or otherwise stressed you during Drift
One situation that bothered me was a helicopter that hovered in place, i thought it was great because I could use it as one of my sounds unfortunately it was loud enough to make it into multiple clips that i recorded. Another situation that was aggravating was the weather. I guess it was my fault to go out on such a cold day but besides having cold fingers and toes I think it kept nature from coming out.
2. Describe, with details, two situations during Drift 1 in which you felt unusually peaceful, at ease, or contemplative.
Along my sound walk there were a few spots that felt unusually peaceful. One was at the very beginning, The marina was vacant due to ice or just the harsh cold and wind. In the past when I have gone to the marina it was extremely busy, not having anyone else there made it pretty peaceful. Staying there for more than 15 minutes would start to get pretty depressing, although peaceful the place seemed dead. The other place I really enjoyed was along the river banks. Going from the busy noises of the city to only hearing the sound of the river and wind through the trees was very peaceful. It seemed like an entirely different place, definitely not the type of place you associate with a big city. Reminded me of being in Sauk city on the Wisconsin river.
3. Describe three surprises or unexpected situations you encountered on your Drift and in the days that followed. The surprise could stem from your expectations that conflicted with "on the ground" realities, cultural or social issues of which you were previously unaware, feelings and reactions that you did not expect to have, appearances and soundings of things you did not expect, good or bad outcomes of "on the spot" decisions you had to make, or the discovery of "deeper" realities in the materials you brought home. (Again, skip anything technology-related!)
After my sound walk I became aware of Milwaukee rivers role as a divider. Since moving to Milwaukee earlier this year I have heard the rumor that the campus side of the river is safer than the west side of the river. I still do not agree with the whole statement. But after walking through the neighborhoods of both sides it is evident that the east side of the river is wealthier than the west side.
Another situation that I still continue to think about is the Milwaukee River. I always thought it was a dirty place being in such a big city, yet it was well preserved and peaceful. I dint expect to the river and park area around it to be in such great condition. A+ to Mil for keeping it clean.
Another thought that has sprung up after my walk is whether this city is where I want to end up. Maybe it was my ego or just the bad weather but the city seemed boring and kind of dead. I mean all I could see were houses and residential towers but very few people walking about. Either everyone has cars or people around here are antisocial. No matter the situation my opinion of Milwaukee took a fall.
4. Describe your favorite experience, situation, place, or recollection from your Drift. Be specific about what happened, how you felt, how you reacted, and why you think this particular experience affected you so much.
My favorite experience along the trip was walking along the Milwaukee river. The only place that inside the city that hasn't been tampered with. I really just liked the feeling of not being in Milwaukee, like a little vacation.
10 questions
1. How can I use this walk to change my perspective of Milwaukee.
2. Where can I find a scary place and happy place
3. Are there any specific places that seem way out of place?
4. Do I want to Portrau Milwaukee as being positive
5. How can I take shots of the lake so that they look like entirely different places(different lakes)?
6. Do I want to stick to places ive been or explore the unknown?
7. Are there any city sounds that I want to make sure and capture?
8. Do I want to do these recording at night or day or both?
9. How can I make sounds spark visuals, or visuals portray sound?
10. Are there any spots around the city with good night life and lights?
1. Describe two situations that aggravated, bothered, shocked or otherwise stressed you during Drift 1. One thing that bothered be exponentially was the wind. My first soundwalk got me near no sounds because of the strong winds by lake Michigan. The other problem that I had that caused frustration was when I would hear a sound I wanted to record, and by the time I got all the gear ready and in the right format, the sound would be gone.
2. Describe, with details, two situations during Drift 1 in which you felt unusually peaceful, at ease, or contemplative. One situation in which I felt peaceful was the calm before the storm in my "Attack" sound clip. I was sitting, listening to the ducks swimming along and quacking. It was very serene and calming. The second event actually occurred after I was done recording for the day and walked back to where the ducks were located before. All the birds had returned to what they were doing. They were cleaning themselves and diving down to eat different things off of rocks. It was as if the whole fiasco that had happened earlier hadn't even happened at all.
3. Describe three surprises or unexpected situations you encountered on your Drift 1 and in the days that followed. I was surprised by the amount of little sounds I heard that I didn't notice before. When I would go back to listen to my sounds, there would be all these little details that I hadn't heard before. One thing that I had a problem with was the noise of everyday life. I didn't figure it would be so distracting and hard to get around. Something that shocked me was how much I could hear with the headphones. I felt like I had supersonic hearing when I would turn up the volume.
4. Describe your favorite experience, situation, place, or recollection from your Drift 1.
My favorite moment on Drift 1 was when I returned after finishing my recordings for the day and just sat with the birds. It was so peaceful and calming, I felt like I could stay there all day, just watching them go about their lives.
1. Are there any places where sound takes on a strange quality?
2. Is there anywhere where I can see a long stretch of city lights at one time?
3. What alley's have I not been down?
4. Are there any interesting patterns on the ground?
5. How does the city change between day and night?
6. How will the new area sound compared to my Drift 1?
7. Is there any interesting graffiti nearby?
8. What will my footage be primarily composed of? Images or video?
9. What connection do I wat to create between my footage and sounds?
10. How am I going to mke this all work together?
1. Describe two situations that aggravated, bothered, shocked or otherwise stressed you during Drift 1. (Please note that the situation CANNOT be technology-related.)
Two situations that bothered me Were the background noise that interfered with my recordings, and the fact that most of the animals at zoo were still locked inside which prevented me from getting any sounds of their actions.
2. Describe, with details, two situations during Drift 1 in which you felt unusually peaceful, at ease, or contemplative.
During my time in the aviary it was quite peaceful with the sound of birds everywhere. Also, when I was recording the little girl running in circles; it was funny which made it pleasant.
3. Describe three surprises or unexpected situations you encountered on your Drift and in the days that followed. The surprise could stem from your expectations that conflicted with "on the ground" realities, cultural or social issues of which you were previously unaware, feelings and reactions that you did not expect to have, appearances and soundings of things you did not expect, good or bad outcomes of "on the spot" decisions you had to make, or the discovery of "deeper" realities in the materials you brought home. (Again, skip anything technology-related!)
There were a few of things that surprised me on my drift 1. For example: I thought that the zoo would entail much more unique sounds then it actually did. Most of the sound that I heard there were run of the mill. I was surprised when I spoke with the public affairs official at the zoo and she gave me free admission for as many days as I needed to record. What really surprised me was the fact that some sounds that I thought were going to turn out great, turned out to be awful.
4. Describe your favorite experience, situation, place, or recollection from your Drift. Be specific about what happened, how you felt, how you reacted, and why you think this particular experience affected you so much.
My favorite experience was in the aviary when I stumbled upon the sound that I entitled Spring Cleaning. Although it may not have been the most interesting, for me it was a moment of discovery. It was the first case of many unique sounds together that I came across on my walk.
1. Are there any rivers or lakes in the area?
2. Is there anything interesting along shore lines?
3. Are there any wooded areas?
4. Is it possible to capture wildlife?
5. Is it possible to capture something mechanical?
6. Is there a way to combine natural material with man made material?
7. Can I find something with a weathered look?
8. Can I discover a texture that I've never seen before?
9. Can I capture a sound that I've never heard before?
10. What is a unique way that I can compile the data that I collect.
1. Describe two situations that aggravated, bothered, shocked or otherwise stressed you during Drift 1. (Please note that the situation CANNOT be technology-related.)
When I went on my first attempt at my Drift 1 walk it was a cold rainy day. I am a warm weather person, so attempting to do my Drift 1 walk on this day was not ideal but I was behind and needed to get out there in the city and explore. The cold frustrated me because I was more concentrated on my body temperature than I was on trying to grasp the sounds around me with my own two ears. I wish I had picked a warmer day so that I could focus more on my surrounding sound than getting home to get warm. The next thing that shocked me was that after walking around for hours I was completely frustrated that it was so silent. When I tried to listen for a sound all I heard was silence, not a peep from any direction. I could even barely hear the traffic. I thought I was not going to be able to get a decent recording but what I failed to realize is that with all the noise clouding my life, I hadn’t stopped to appreciate the silence that I had been given. I went out on my second attempt walk and got some great recordings, but learned a lot from my first attempt.
2. Describe, with details, two situations during Drift 1 in which you felt unusually peaceful, at ease, or contemplative.
On my first attempt it was a foggy cold day after it had just rained and nobody was outside and nobody was driving. Not a single sound from any direction, and after being frustrated that their was no sound I stopped to sit on a bench and just enjoy the silence that had frustrated me for the last two hours. It was sort of an escape and I kind of got lost in the silence just sitting there for about a half in hour taking it all in. On my second attempt it was a gorgeous Sunday afternoon and everyone was out walking and enjoying the beautiful weather. I wanted to escape from all this commotion, so my strategy eventually led me to the middle of a field, which was Lake Park Golf Course. When I got to the middle of the field, the sun was shining down on my face and I could hear a choir of birds singing. I just stood there in the middle of this golf course with my eyes closed enjoying the warm weather and the choir of birds chirping. I did not expect that I would find such peace on these sound walks and take away such appreciation for my surroundings.
3. Describe three surprises or unexpected situations you encountered on your Drift and in the days that followed. The surprise could stem from your expectations that conflicted with "on the ground" realities, cultural or social issues of which you were previously unaware, feelings and reactions that you did not expect to have, appearances and soundings of things you did not expect, good or bad outcomes of "on the spot" decisions you had to make, or the discovery of "deeper" realities in the materials you brought home. (Again, skip anything technology-related!)
I think I discovered the power of echoing sounds and how the city echoes the constant sound of traffic. When you are in the city and exploring it is very hard to escape the constant sound of traffic, but once or twice I managed to escape the sound. Something else that surprised me was how much sound we make that we don’t even realize. Even when I thought I was standing still not making any sound I was making a sound and it showed up in my recording. We make sound even when we think we are being stealthy and quiet and my microphone picked it all up. There are a lot of sounds that the untrained ear cannot pick up. I was also shocked at how interested I became in the sounds as I was recording them. It was a whole different spectacle listening to sounds through the noise cancelling headphones. I heard a sound and I really got into it, wanting to capture as much of it as I could so I could have a solid recording.
4. Describe your favorite experience, situation, place, or recollection from your Drift. Be specific about what happened, how you felt, how you reacted, and why you think this particular experience affected you so much.
My favorite place was the in the middle of Lake Park Golf Course, because it was so peaceful there and you couldn’t hear all the echoing sounds of the traffic in the city. It was a peaceful place that helped me escape and the chirping birds added to this peaceful place that truly represented nature within the city.
10 Questions:
1. Is there a place that is peaceful within the city?
2. Are there any sounds that attract me to a location?
3. Are there any special designs or patterns on the ground?
4. Are there any unique looking buildings that stand out?
5. Are there any pathways that could lead me to new places?
6. Are there any bright colorful plants around?
7. Is there a place where you cannot hear the sound of traffic?
8. Are there any places that give me a view of the lake and the city?
9. Are there any places that make me feel uncomfortable and out of place?
10. Are there any places that make me feel like I fit right in?
1. Describe two situations that aggravated, bothered, shocked or otherwise stressed you during Drift 1. (Please note that the situation CANNOT be technology-related.)
One situation that bugged me was just the route I ended up taking at first. I ended up on Cambridge for ever, and there was very little change in the sounds around me for a long stretch of it. The other thing that bugged me was when intentionally recording traffic noise, the busses were obscenely loud and I worried it would ruin any recording I happened to be taking.
2. Describe, with details, two situations during Drift 1 in which you felt unusually peaceful, at ease, or contemplative.
When I first turned north up Bartlett I was immediately put at ease. On Hartford it's fairly busy and loud, even after you're a bit away from Maryland, but as soon as I turned up Bartlett there was nothing but old houses, not a person around, and it was really quiet. The other time was when I turned back on to Bartlett, going south from Locust, in a parallel situation.
3. Describe three surprises or unexpected situations you encountered on your Drift and in the days that followed. The surprise could stem from your expectations that conflicted with "on the ground" realities, cultural or social issues of which you were previously unaware, feelings and reactions that you did not expect to have, appearances and soundings of things you did not expect, good or bad outcomes of "on the spot" decisions you had to make, or the discovery of "deeper" realities in the materials you brought home. (Again, skip anything technology-related!)
One surprise was when I was walking north on Bartlett, I didn't recognize the area at all, but it's only a block from where I live! Another was the back of some store on Oakland (I was walking down an ally) where I saw a lot of really well-done graffiti that clearly wasn't all from one person. I was also surprised by the geese landing in Riverside Park, wasn't expecting geese in the middle of a city.
4. Describe your favorite experience, situation, place, or recollection from your Drift. Be specific about what happened, how you felt, how you reacted, and why you think this particular experience affected you so much.
My favorite happening while on my drift was while recording at Riverside Park, I got a recording of one teenage girl (14-15 I'd guess) saying to her friend "Girl, you gonna look like a ho". I had to try so hard not to laugh and end up with me laughing on my recording.
10 Questions:
1. Is there anywhere I can go 5 minutes without hearing any traffic?
2. Is there a street or ally so straight and unobstructed I can see until the sides appear to converge?
3. Can I find a clear sound that's completely unrecognizable without prior knowledge to what it is?
4. Can I find a drawing or something like in the middle of a street? (sidewalk chalk or something to that effect?)
5. Is there somewhere I can clearly hear running water without seeing it?
6. What's different on an East Side street between a weekday and the weekend?
7. Is there a building or area on one side of a street that sharply contrasts to what's across the street from it?
8. Is there an ethnic enclave nearby?
9. Is there a place where I can't see a single house?
10. Where can I find animals besides small birds, squirrels, or people's pets?
1. Describe two situations that aggravated, bothered, shocked or otherwise stressed you during Drift 1. (Please note that the situation CANNOT be technology-related.)
The two situation that aggravated me during the walks would be the weather because it was so cold and hard to gather sounds, also how the snow when walking in it affected the sounds that I was recording.
2. Describe, with details, two situations during Drift 1 in which you felt unusually peaceful, at ease, or contemplative.
The two situations that I felt unusually peaceful were when I was recording at dusk and the surrounds were just very nice and serene. Also when some birds flew over it was very nice to capture nature at its finest and reminded me that summer is on its way.
3. Describe three surprises or unexpected situations you encountered on your Drift and in the days that followed. The surprise could stem from your expectations that conflicted with "on the ground" realities, cultural or social issues of which you were previously unaware, feelings and reactions that you did not expect to have, appearances and soundings of things you did not expect, good or bad outcomes of "on the spot" decisions you had to make, or the discovery of "deeper" realities in the materials you brought home. (Again, skip anything technology-related!)
The three surprises that came to me where all in one recording session when I was walking, there were many sounds that I came back with that I didn’t hear with my ears but came about when I was listening to the recordings on my computer. Many of the recording I didn’t hear were ones that I eventually used because they were so unique and powerful and I wanted them to be in my finish product.
4. Describe your favorite experience, situation, place, or recollection from your Drift. Be specific about what happened, how you felt, how you reacted, and why you think this particular experience affected you so much.
My favorite experience would have been when a flock of geese came from behind me and I didn’t pick them up on the recorder till they were over head. It was a cool experience because I didn’t mean to record them but once they came through the head phones it was a really cool recording, and it was like mother nature was helping me with my sound recordings. It was really peaceful and made me reconnect with nature in a way at the time.
After writing and reflecting upon your assessment answers, come up with ten questions that best address the aspects of your Drift process you are most interested in pursuing further in Drift 2.
These questions must be related directly to your experiences walking the specific landscapes of your Drift 1, and should be specifically worded enough to generate possible strategies and solutions for executing Drift 2. Note that you will not be ANSWERING these questions right away. They will serve as inspiration for areas to explore on Drift 2.
1.Could there be any trails that would bring out more nature sounds?
2. Is there any unusual animals with sounds in the area?
3. Are there any places where sound takes on a strange sound or make one on its own?
4.Any cool deformations of the land I could capture?
5.Is there different sounds for the woods during the day and night?
6.Are there any spots that I could find with no houses or roads in sight and capture all nature?
7. Are there any buildings that will give me access to a high and panoramic view?
8.Are there any big bird feeders or feeding areas to gather good data?
9.Are there any unusual land formations that would make good recording?
10.Could there be a stream, river, or mass body of water in the area to record?
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