Soundwalking with Sherry Ostapovitch, Hildegard Westerkamp, and WalkingLab
January 17 2019
The week-long Weather Soundings event series featuring Hildegard Westerkamp finished with a soundwalk held on the University of Toronto, St. George campus. We walked without speaking; listening intimately to our surroundings as we made our way through the shifting architectural spaces of the campus. After passing by droning traffic and buildings, at Philosopher’s Walk we listened to Taddle Creek that runs beneath the campus, via a storm drain. Before it was buried by settlers over a century ago, this waterway was historically used by Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabe peoples for drinking, transportation, and fishing for salmon and trout. After crunching through the leaves of the Philosohper’s walkway we wove through the courtyards and corridors between buildings, transitioning between a variety of acoustic spaces. The sunny but crisp, cold weather seemed to amplify the humming heating systems of buildings.
Afterwards everyone offered their experiences of the walk including: the interplay between sound and other senses; the impact of sound on memory; and the tonal sounds produce by buildings. Hildegard Westerkamp reminds us of the importance of slowing down and listening.
Please find the full recording below:
Soundwalk with Introduction and Discussion (excerpts)
