AR soundscape (Echos)

The soundscape begins with the crunching noise of footsteps on a sand/gravel path. As you edge closer to the entrance of the grotto you overhear the rushing water from inside, at first it pans from your right ear, as you approach the entrance and wander through the grotto it encapsulates the entire space and as you leave it lingers slightly in your left ear.

The birds begin to flap their wings and fly away, at first startled by your arrival but you soon the sudden emergence of thunder hints of an impending storm. The rain falls gently at first, you are sheltered by the canopy of evergreen awnings above, but just as you leave the refuge of the organic tranquillity the storm grows fiercer, the rain falls heavier, and the thunder becomes persistent, the unwelcomed vehicle of oppression that signals the danger of the path you follow. You pick up speed, your footsteps become faster matching the tempo of your growing anxiety, in your attempts to outrun the storm.

The augmented aspect of this reality describes the “grotto” space as a calming sanctuary that protects you from the pre-existing storm brewing outside, (meaning there have always been environmental issues and not all are fabricated by society) but as you step onto the footpath and deviate from the sanctuary you are no longer protected, you have chosen to abandon the natural space for an environment that juxtaposes this entirely. (We still hold a level of agency and control over how we influence this situation, therefore we have the power to change what we can control in the choices we make) The storm is now ferocious and untamed.

The literal footpath you are traveling on is reflective of the metaphorical path to destruction, a world of hunger, poverty, pollution, and environmental damage bred by a capitalist, materialistic society, ignoring their humanity and roots in morality and ethics, (the grotto) in pursuit of power and personal gain (the industrialized cityscape).

As you edge the border of the gardens you are guided by the familiar sounds of a beg beeper which positions you in front of a pedestrian crossing, bridging the two worlds with tar and white paint. Do you choose to cross over?