Over the course of two 2 hour sessions with Jose, I have learnt and explored how to process, engulf and evoke sound in a naturalistic environment.
The second walk took place on Friday the 4th of December in Leake street arches, as well as on the Southbank.
Having built up experience using field equipment with Milo, as well as independently, this walk was designed for us to explore all the possible ways of using the sound kits, as well as recording additional sound for our compositions.
The walk began in the Arches on Leake street. Using a combination of handmade contact microphones, as well as a portable audio recorder, Harvey and I managed to record a trove of sounds in the arches. Picking up on everything from buskers, to vans unloading equipment, the mics were able to capture the bustling atmosphere of Central London, all whilst remaining within one concentrated space.
Next, was the walk to, and along the Southbank. Having been greatly inspired by Hans Zimmer’s work on ‘Blade Runner 2049’ and the world that Denis Villeneuve manages to create, I was aiming for the representation of such world within my piece, and to do that, I needed rain. As of late, I have been literally obsessed with the rain, the sound it makes, the emotions that it provokes and how it can be used within an art space, especially since the rain is used in both Blade Runner films, largely to contribute to the world that the directors are attempting to create, as well as being used to provoke emotion and thought from the audience, something I was striving for within my work.
Luckily for me, it was pouring down. The journey from Leake Street to the London eye was recorded using the portable sound recorder, cut up and used within my piece, and I am extremely pleased with what the audio was able to do within the work.
Next, Harvey and I ventured down into the car park below the Southbank theatre, and using the contact mic, we were able to pick up on and record some really interesting sounds. For example, we came across a huge metal cylinder with a gate around it. When the contact mic was placed against the metal, a largely metallic, whirring sound occurred, a sound that we thought largely deserved to be recorded, and possibly used within our work.