Hello there! We had just hopped out of the light rail and welcome to Circular Quay - where both the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia and the well-known Sydney Opera House has been standing. Nonetheless, this programme is not putting it’s centre of attention on the latter, as my intention is to embrace our thoughts through the other spots of Circular Quay. We are taking a little walk along the seaside at the magnificent Sydney Harbour, from the exterior of the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia. Then, making a left to the ferry wharfs, where you will be taken to destinations like Manly beach, Paramatta and more. Without further ado, let’s dive into this short but significant journey!
This walk can generally be divided into two distinct sections with unidentical aims. To start off, when we are passing by the museum (audios starting from 0:00 to 1:45), where Indigenous Australian artworks are displayed, we shall reflect on the tragic fact, that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have been persecuted by the British colonists. Speaking of the First Nations Peoples of Australia, I am certain that the atrocities committed by the invaders, such as massacres, will instantly emerge within our minds. By walking before the museum, we can engage with the following questions. Primally, can the miserability of the Aboriginal and Torress Strait Islander peoples be portrayed through artworks, such as paintings? Are these artworks publicized frequently to bring them into contact with people who are unfamiliar with the unbearable sufferings of Indigenous Australians? What will be the other possible methods to promote Aboriginal Australian art other than museum displays? Afterwards, when we find ourselves around the ferry wharfs, and hence, making an encounter with various sound sources, we can consider how did the Covid-19 pandemic disrupted our daily life. As we all know, the pandemic had already lasted for more than three years, which, had undoubtedly brought devastating destructions in countless aspects across the globe. The following are a few potential questions that can be brought out after taking a listen at the audio track from 1:45 to 4:00. First and foremost, did the long-lasting pandemic change our perspective towards issues regarding family bondings and relationships? There are scholars proposing that “a potential increase in the number of disputes” (Evans et al., 2020) can be perceived in recent years, since “families are forced to stay home in a long term due to lockdown” (Evans et al., 2020). However, it is seen that positive outcomes can be brought out even in the darkest hours, and according to researches, various families “have enhanced and tightened their parent-child relationship” (Evans et al., 2020), as they are “spending more time to work out different family problems” (Evans et al., 2020). What will be our opinion regarding the above? Secondly, can we say that our normal or pre-pandemic lifestyle have already been restored so far, and, has Covid-19 change people’s style of living? I believe these will be the potential questions popping up in our minds.
After all, while we are enjoying the 4 minutes journey, I propose that you could potentially have perceived the amusing aspect inserted into the recording, which are my voice overs. This creative idea came to my mind to since I intent to prevent all listeners from straying at Circular Quay, since it is out of the question to determine your own location, by barely listening to a recorded audio. Thus, be rest assured that the situation above will not occur, and feel free to embrace the audio tracks. Furthermore, are you eager to personally experience a walk at Circular Quay without taking a step out of home? Once again, I will undoubtedly suggest you to take a listen at my audios, which have included the following classifications of sounds – people chatting, an instrumental performance and various sound effects recorded in the environment. What’s more, is that you are going to discover an interesting technique within them. I chose to “let the start and the end of several audio tracks fade in and out respectively” (Stevenson, 2020), aiming to “achieve steady track conversions” (Stevenson, 2020). Keen to realize how smooth this works? Please take a listen!
In short, please bear with me if I am slightly long-winded, that once more, I will strongly recommend you to be involved in this short but pleasant experience, while I am eager to kindly advising the vast listeners, regarding the fact that you can enter the walk at any position on the line. This will be the smoothest way for listeners to move along with the audio tracks. Hope everyone enjoys the journey!
References:
Evans, S., Mikocka-Walus, A., Klas, A., Olive, L., Sciberras, E., Karantzas, G., & Westrupp, EM. (2020). From “It Has Stopped Our Lives” to “Spending More Time Together Has Strengthened Bonds”: The Varied Experiences of Australian Families During COVID-19. Frontiers in Psychology, 77, 1-13. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.588667/full
Stevenson, Ian. (Professor). (2020). Tips for mixing (demo). [Video]. University of Technology Sydney.
