Cooks River Soundscape History

This 4-minute locative audio project takes the listener on an immersive journey through Earlwood, following a cat named Cudi’s walk home. This chosen idea allows the representation of a generally mysterious phenomenon, a cat’s walk. How often do we know what our cats get up to on their daily walks? Where do they go? What do they do? This project attempts to answer these questions. As the cat is quite a quiet animal, the project focuses more on the atmospheric sounds of the location rather than the sounds of a cat. To enhance the listening experience and allow the idea of walking beside a cat, the narration guides you through the walk, suggesting directions and providing descriptive audio of the things Cudi experiences through his walk. The walk travels through the lovely walk along Cooks River, capturing the atmospheric audio of the location such as the gentle sounds of the river’s water and the sounds of people strolling around. From sitting along the river and recording the natural events and sounds that occurred, I chose the highlights of the recordings and curated an authentic collection of audio capturing the footsteps and conversations of people walking by. After turning off the river you and Cudi will venture onto the streets of suburbian Earlwood. The serenity of the location can be deceiving as you and Cudi will encounter a variety of complications, from a scary dog to crossing the road, things that seem small to us as humans but are colossal to tiny cats. This exaggeration of everyday encounters allows a representation of the world through a cat’s point of view, hence the project focuses on emphasising environmental sounds rather than totally the sounds of Cudi himself. Credits: Narration performed by: Olcay Ozcelik Additional sound effects by: Bea Hernandez

The #mycooksriver hunt begins the first phase of a generative open-ended project and the making of physical and virtual mementos and memories. Use the echoes as location guides for hunting your treasures. The Echoes tell sonic stories, sometimes through voices, sometimes through sounds asking you to open your ears and reflect on their messages. // This project is proudly brought to you by the Cooks River Changemakers. Many thanks to the Cooks River Alliance for facilitation and support.

An immersive soundscape designed for listening while riding the train between Redfern and Carlton. Make sure that your volume is set so that you can still engage with the world around you while you are on your journey. Listen for shimmering drones, the hissing of trains, and whispers beckoning from outside the tracks... Thanks to the James Eric Bird Collection of Steam Trains of NSW for being a free archive of steam train recordings available under Creative Commons, Gail Priest for being a mentor figure throughout the process of creating this work, and Shopfront to making the development of this work possible through the 2022 ArtsLab season. P.S: As this soundscape uses real-time location data, there may be points along the track (such as long tunnel sections) where location data does not function properly and the journey's audio does not play back. If this happens, you can manually play the echoes by selecting them within the app.

Assessment 2

This walk shows the walk from the Hurstville train station to Owen Hodge Lawyers (located on the second floor of the building on Ormonde Parade). You first leave the train and then head to the stairs located by the bread store. Front here you cross the street and walk a straight path until the building will be on your right. The creative aspect that I have put into this walk would be that it is a rainy day. This adds more noises to be heard from the pitter patter of the rain on umbrellas passing by, to the splashing of puddles, to the closing and opening of umbrellas. There can also be heard a bus squeaking to a stop on the wet roads. The techniques used to acquire these sounds involved a zoom mic. I walked around to different locations to gather these sounds, some being around campus while others being somewhat near the site. I also used sounds from my peers; including the walking, rain, and ambiance. There are multiple spots where I have the rain fade out nicely to indicate times where there are cover and the rain cannot be heard as sharply as the sidewalks are mainly covered. The echo is supposed to be simple, not too complex or eery; nor dramatic. Walking to work is an every day task which typically doesn't have much good or bad to it more so just a matter of fact. This is what I was aiming for within my piece. While things could happen to make it very eventful, the likely hood of that happening is rather low. I had to wait for a rainy day to collect the bus squeaking sound of the tires over the water. The context of this walk is that this is one I experience everyday. I do not know of many locations in Sydney as I am still relatively new to the area; moving here in January. To pick something that was familiar and I have walked through for a couple months now felt right and solid to me. Everyday I experience a new ambience of noise, from the people around, to the weather. It is a reassuring and comforting walk; since there's things that are different but yet the main walk will always be the same. I wanted to make it feel like it was a comfortable walk, I didn't want to make it sound like it was scary or uncomforting. I used different types of audio, ones being made from humans, ones being made from nature, living and non living. This is a common usage of sound composition. While as my group members supplied a lot of the sounds that come from human creations to really tie together my composition. I did not want to put too many sounds as to drown out any of the others or to make it seem as though there was too much going on.

Surrounded by a bustling city environment and flowing traffic from all directions Victoria Park can appear to some as a central location for noise pollution and heavy foot traffic. However, through a collation of the many sounds other than that of the urban soundscape that entraps the park, its centrality in supporting the student life of the surrounding universities can be seen. As you walk from the University of Technology Sydney the relentless sound of traffic tapers off as students walk down to the pond as a place of solace and peace. Muddied footsteps and flowing water highlight how whilst the city has been engulfed in one of its wettest seasons, the park and its purpose as an escape for students still thrive. The sounds of gardeners and birds chirping almost hint at a persistent effort to preserve that environment by nature and those who look to uphold its natural beauty. As one walks deeper into the park towards the University of Sydney, the presence of student life, even during quiet study periods, can be heard with compilations of laughter, banter, and conversation. Above that, Victoria Park acts as a cornerstone for student activism and protest, as it offers an open and inclusive space for students to celebrate and protest their beliefs and the change they want to see in their universities. Walking towards Parramatta Road and the gates of the University of Sydney, a student picket can be heard all around the edges of the university as students chant in unison in the hopes of enacting institutional change. It shows the symbolism of the park as a basis point for the future generation of leaders to go about building their campaign for better education, quality of life standards, such as wages, and environmental action. The creative aim of this walk is to represent how through audio, we can illustrate the need for spaces such as Victoria Park for students and young activists to safely and effectively advocate and protest for the change they want to see in their societies. Often through video, these protests are able to be displayed to show the scale and size of these movements, however, through sound, this project points out how in a large environment and soundscape such as Victoria Park, sound can be just as effective as visual aids to illustrate the impact these student movements are making in Sydney. The sound material utilized in the project was collated in between the areas of Broadway (University of Technology Sydney) and the gates of the University of Sydney in Victoria Park. A Rode NTG-3 shotgun microphone was used with a Zoom H6 recorder to capture all content and various mixing techniques were utilized to optimize the audio quality. Subtractive equalizing was used to clean all audio material of resonant frequencies which worsen the listening experience for users, and dynamic processing in the form of a compressor was used for various sound sources in order to control transients and dynamic peaks which cause an un-balance in the mix of the project. Additive equalizing was also used to balance low and high frequencies between foreground and background sounds, with shelf and peak filters allowing for the high frequencies of voices to be heard better in the mix above traffic noise from background sound sources. Further dynamic processing was used on the master channel in the form of a limiter with a ceiling of -1db in order to achieve the loudness requirements for this project. The ‘YouLean’ loudness meter was used to help measure short term and integrated loudness and analyze the mix of foreground and background sounds in order to achieve the target foreground loudness of -16LUFS.

George Street 2323. Where the echoes of the past intertwine with the harmonies of the future. (4.5kms/hour recommended) Amidst the many bustling streets of Sydney lies an environment that is both vibrant and loud, marked by its undeniable energy, fragmented state, and enduring affection. This project aims to experiment with the possibility of the future, sonically exploring three aspects of the pre-existing and the imagined landscape. As you, the listener, walk down the real-world present-day George Street, music and sound will illuminate electronic and algorithmic patterns, human truth and pain, and the soundscape in which they both occur. From the outset, an underlying presence envelops the listener, setting the stage for the unfolding sonic narrative. A persistent drone emerges as an undercurrent that evokes a sense of unfamiliarity and chaotic energy. This grounding element lays down a sonic palette, providing a lens through which the project can be understood. The drone is arranged from the soundscape recordings of the bustling Sydney streets, layered with electronically generated tones that serve as a whisper of the future. These synthesized tones carry a sense of tension and anticipation, symbolizing the convergence of the contemporary world with the possibilities that lie ahead. As the project progresses, this juxtaposition between the recorded sounds and the electronically generated elements deepens, creating an experience that sparks a sense of disquiet. As you pass the Haymarket light rail station, you will hear the disjointed resonant tones of the light rail's distant bloodline. Technological advances led to this method of transport becoming incredibly efficient, yet the terribly loud sound it emits is still an oversight. Maybe society isn't listening to Schafer's pleas to bring peace to the habitable landscape. As the listener walks, they are invited to consider. Is this a future they look forward to? The music heard as the listener moves on is a fusion of sample-based hip-hop and dark tech-electronica. It is somewhat gritty but lacks an essential element, the vocals. The lack of the human voice and its beauty refers to the rise of automation and artificial intelligence in the future. There might be significantly fewer people. Or the people around might choose to spend their time on something other than creating art. As the listener progresses, they will hear a synthetic algorithmic texture. A wall of sound patterns. This is the music the androids listen to. It is by no means pleasant to the human ear. But something about the predictable patterns and mathematical textures draws machines and artificial minds. This is synth generated and layered atop the continuous background ambience to provide an unsettling experience. The sonic landscape highlighted is one of tension and climax. The listener will begin to experience a build of tension as they climb the hill. Harsh frequencies, soft synthetic sounds and more location recordings. This is left up to interpretation. A climax of all the primary elements in a piece of fusion, building and building. The question is again posed. Is this a future the listener desires to inhabit? In exploring sound and future possibilities, "George Street 2323" invites the listener to delve into a world where past echoes mingle with future harmonies. Through its portrayal of Sydney's bustling George Street, the project ventures into the realm of the imagined. The interplay between recorded sounds, electronic elements, and algorithmic textures guides the listener on a thought-provoking journey, where the boundaries between human truth, technological advancements, and the existing soundscape blur. As the sonic landscape unfolds, evoking disquiet and anticipation, the project poses poignant questions about the direction of society and invites contemplation on the desired future. "George Street 2323" challenges us to explore the intersection of art, technology, and human experience, offering a captivating glimpse into a possible sonic tapestry that awaits us. References: Elgammal, A. (2019). AI Is Blurring the Definition of Artist: Advanced algorithms are using machine learning to create art autonomously. American Scientist, 107(1), 18+. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A579092374/AONE?u=anon~f8d7805e&sid=googleScholar&xid=e37ed57d R Murray Schafer. (1994). The soundscape : the tuning of the world. Destiny Books ; [United States.

The beautiful Chippendale green located in the heart of Sydney's CBD, two minutes away from central station, has a deep and enriching history that dates back all the way to the early 1800s. This project delves into that rich history while only focusing on the beautiful and distinctive sounds that represent all the generational change that Chippendale Park has experienced. For this walk you are able to visually explore the surroundings of chippendale park while having the total history of chippendale park; from before humans inhabited it, to its modern day contemporary state. You will travel on an immersive journey and will be able to perceive Chippendale Green's lengthy history through the sounds I have introduced, as well as the historical signs set up around the park presenting factual historical information for individuals to read. I suggest that you follow the path as its audioscape is in an ascending order, going from generation to generation and ending in modern day Chippendale green. The walk does not include dialogue, only sounds, which was my intention as I want you to create a story within your minds through the sounds of history I have introduced. My intent for you as a listener is to immerse yourself fully into the walk, turn your sound up as loud as is safe for your ears so you don’t hear any outside sound, and discover how through only sounds you can learn a whole green's history and its existence before even you were born. Echo 1: The walk starts at the entrance of Chippendale green, from parramatta road, where tall buildings surround and there is a long pathway into the park. Here you will hear nothing but the pure sounds of nature; birds chirping, wind blowing, anything that would have been heard prior to the urbanscape being built and noise pollution becoming prevalent. This represents chippendale park before human civilization, all you can hear is the birds, the wind, the ocean and rain, it represents a more peaceful time where the green wasn't called chippendale green, it was just called earth. You’ll be able to see this past life of the green through the waterfall near the start of the walk. Echo 2: Listeners are then advised to turn to the right when they reach the end of the pathway and are standing right in front of the green. If you look to your left you'll see a sign with information on the breweries that existed before chippendale green. After that, turn on your sounds and listen to the brewery ambience. This part of the walk presents chippendale green in the early 1900s; when it was the home to a popular brewing company Carlton and United breweries. Throughout this period of the walk you will be able to apprehend the sounds of a thriving brewery; with people conversing and glasses clinking together as well as music being played. This area of chippendale green has come a long way since the breweries, but still has echoes of its past through signage and its commercial growth. Echo 3: The last part of this walk is Chippendale green in its modern state, which the listeners see is the green surrounded by buildings. It is filled with people sitting down or playing with their children or walking their dogs. Although it has become the only big piece of nature in an urban construction filled area, it has given residents of Sydney's bustling CBD a place to go to get their daily dose of greenage. We also can hear the faint noise of nature, when not listening to the background sounds of parramatta road as well as birds chirping in the trees all around the green. Ultimately this is chippendale green today, as is and as it will be for the future, and if it changes i guess i have another echo to make. Overall I hope this walk enlightens you as a listener and attracts you to the different eras of this beautiful green and everything that surrounds it. I hope this has helped you discover how through only sounds and not reading or having someone talk to you, you can learn something about history and how something like a park or green can have many forms, whether commercialised or in its pure natural state. Thank you for listening!! Juliette Triccas References NSW Department of Customer Service, T. for N. (2023, February 23). Chippendale Green | NSW Government. Www.nsw.gov.au. https://www.nsw.gov.au/visiting-and-exploring-nsw/locations-and-attractions/chippendale-green Background music: Jude Price, Durham Mcnamara, Daniel Osbourne

UTS Test 1