#Sounds from home

#Soundsfromhome, a project working with Ceda Arts, during the Covid-19 pandemic. Over the next month I am working with Ceda arts exploring sounds from home. As lockdown eases up now, it has really made me reflect on the being locked down and locked in. My recent work was taking notice, listening and slowing down. As I did this I was able to notice sounds that I couldn't quite tell if I knew what these were. Some sound from the outside world I could hear but not see. The above images are collages I have been making in response to the sounds I have heard, some of the images are alot larger than they would be in real life but this is to show that some of these sounds where overwhelming. 

With lockdown being eased now I have noticed a change to the sounds I can hear. The normal week day has become quieter as I remain at home and people I assume have gone back to work. The flat blocks everyday has become quieter, slower some days it seems almost so still I have to really listen hard to see if there is anything happening other than the wind. I was surprised that July 4th was not over powering with sound it was actually so silent I felt the atmosphere was almost eerie. This strange quite I shocked to hear or not hear. I have noticed that some days in the week are extremely quite now it seems like the flat block pauses until the early evening. And then there are other days where my surroundings are so alive I struggle to pick out one or 2 sounds but a mixture of life, that again I find hard to pull out everything I know, from car sirens, child shouting, wind and what I think are construction noises from a distance it gives me this strange sense of disconnect from one day to the next. 

Making collages has meant making sure I am always listening, taking notice of sound changes before Covid-19 I probably wouldn't of paid that much attention to them. It's funny the kinds of patterns you notice after a while, Mondays seem quite, Tuesdays are non stop with sounds in the early morning and then late afternoon, Wednesday afternoon seems busy, Thursdays alot of birds, Friday mid afternoon the flats become alive with music. The weekend is an odd some its very up and down and I cant really pick if they are quite or noisy as it is a complete mix. This is my last pattern I noticed from a week ago. 

I am making recordings on the busy days taking 30 seconds here and there and then listening to it as a whole piece making collages in response to the whole day, if the sounds are few and far between. It is a great way to see what I think I am hearing and I am enjoying the work so far. Still a big learning curve with recordings as I have never used sound before this project. Stay tuned for more...