Sensing Environments – Danielle Ramsay

Over the end of year break, a lot of things in life changed as well as a mindset. this echo follows a walk i did every day to improve my well being. its very important to me.

This Echoes walk about through the Boronia Fire Trail in Mooloolah River National Park is made for people to engage with the natural environment through an immersive audio experiences. the Audio includes bird calls, Water movements, footsteps and other noises you may hear at this location, focusing on key sensory elements of the trails landscape.

The Spirit of the Forest is an audio experience that brings together all the intertwined parts of nature we see, touch and feel to life. It is an expression of tranquillity, peace and connection with nature, allowing us to feel interconnected to the natural world around us, which can sometimes feel so far away. This experience aims to show the beauty of our natural surroundings and give a voice to the land that we need to cherish and protect. I hope this experience emotionally moves others as much as it has moved me.

This is a tour of a few different species that can be found by the lake on the University of the Sunshine Coast Campus.

The geolocated audio installation “Avian Harmonies” uses Echoes to create a rich and immersive experience that aims to encapsulate the diverse biospheres of the sunshine coast area by allowing listeners to enjoy their various bird calls on a single walk. The audio experience features the iconic sounds from a range of Australia’s native birds, such as Magpies, Ibises, Willie Wagtails, Rainbow Lorikeets, and many more. The audio tour was recorded using a H2 Microphone, allowing for a crisp surround sound experience that transports listeners to the environment it was captured in. Also incorporated into the project are a series of minimalist digital artworks, which aimed to combine my personal memories of these bird calls with a dream-like abstract art style. Each artwork was designed to reflect its respective audio file to create a harmonious experience. Highlighted in this project is the stunning diversity and complexity of bird calls, allowing the vast array of melodies to take centre stage with minimal disruption from other sounds. Furthermore, these soundscapes have been carefully recorded at the most opportune times of day when many bird species are highly active. By using Echoes to present the experience, it can be enjoyed at any time of day by anyone with the means to access the app, allowing a wide range of people to immerse themselves in the atmosphere of avian harmonies.

*no-body was harmed in the making of this*

The walk centres around the concept that everything in nature happens in its own cycles. The cycles that are most obviously depicted in the walk are Mooloolah River National Park's forest and plant life cycles. Each part of the walk has been titled reflecting the point in this cycle. The images are of plants in the Mooloolah River National Park that reflect each point. The audio also matches as the lead tracks are recordings of the corresponding plant. It is an immersive experience as all elements link and the walk can be stopped or started at any point or go on forever, just as these cycles do.

This project has been inspired by a few different aspects. The first being, my relationship with the Sunshine Coast, Caloundra region has flourished since the very beginning of me coming to Australia, as it was the first place my family and I stayed at. I have spent countless hours exploring all the different streets, nooks and crannies within the area. Secondly, the Caloundra cinema was the first cinema which played a movie written and directed by me, creating very important core memories for me. Lastly, the Caloundra cinema is one of the first cinemas on the coast, making it a special location for many locals. For this project I decided to take my photographs using a film camera. This allowed me to think critically before capturing every special moment. Additionally, using film would be an appropriate medium as it gave the photos the appropriate vintage look according to the environment. The sounds you hear in this experience have been carefully recorded, selected and edited, being layered allowing for an immersive and realistic experience. I hope you get to experience the Caloundra region and cinema through my lens!

Defenceless Giants is a locative media experience created to raise awareness of our rainforests. With audio taken from Mary Cairncross in the traditional lands of the Jinibara people, the rainforest reserve is the last remaining parcel of rainforest which used to cover the Blackall range. From the tranquility of nature, we turn our eye to our destruction of it. We are reminded of Feral invasion, our pollutive nature and are we warming our planet?