What happens when we start to pay attention to the overlooked sounds in our everyday environment?
Story by Zarani Risjad
Photographs by Benny Widyo
In today’s fast-paced, visually-driven world, the concept of a sound walk offers a unique and immersive experience, redirecting attention to the often-overlooked sounds in our everyday environment. This practice, popularized in recent years, involves individuals or groups embarking on guided or self-guided walks with a primary focus on actively listening to the surrounding auditory landscape.
The roots of sound walks can be traced back to the work of Canadian composer R. Murray Schafer, who organized “Soundscapes for the Third Ear” in 1974, featuring guided walks that encouraged participants to engage with their auditory environment. Since then, the idea has evolved into a diverse range of experiences, from artist-led walks to community-based projects, all aimed at exploring and appreciating the sonic environment.
I had the opportunity to participate in a sound walk during the Bebunyian Sound Art Festival fringe event in Surabaya in November 2023. Led by cultural activist and walking advocate Anitha Silva, this particular sound walk provided a unique twist by incorporating a mobile phone recording workshop, in which participants create a collective sound art composition, led by Korean artist Jin Sangtae.
Exploring Pasar Keputran
At our meeting point, C2O Library & Collabtive, participants were invited to join a pre-walk exercise to practise recording various man-made sounds on their mobile phones, emphasizing the devices’ ability to capture subtle, ambient sounds. After the 15-minute practice, we set out for the walk with Anitha.
Anitha takes us to Pasar Keputran via a route that I assume is only known to locals. We walk through pedestrian-only lanes, historic wrought iron gates, and locally made signage through terraces of private homes and mosques, passing children playing and women doing household chores like dinner prep and laundry, all while chatting with neighbours on their terraces.
Anitha explains that we are now in Pasar Keputran, formerly a traditional market but has since been supplanted by a modern building complex. Walking through a bustling throng of buyers and sellers, we enter the top floor of the market building to get a birds-eye view of the market as well as the urban landscape surrounding it. Participants are encouraged to spend a further 20 minutes individually conducting field recordings of the sounds produced by the market’s inhabitants.
Collaboration in symphony
We return to the C2O Library to share the recordings. Sangtae explains that we will create a sound composition together by simultaneously playing our individual field recordings. Sound artist Eri Rukmana is our conductor, and he explains the three hand signals he will use silently to indicate when we should turn our phone volume up, down, pause, or muffle its sound. Following a brief rehearsal, the 13 participants are led through 15 minutes of a composition that could be titled The Symphony of Keputran at 4 p.m., which captured the vibrant chaos of the market. The symphony takes us straight to the core of Keputran, including the sounds of humans and children, the sharpening of a knife, the whirring of an exhaust fan, and the voice of a seller hocking his wares.
The result is as interesting as the process of the sound walk. Immediately, participants understand that in exploring the landscape through sound, it is impossible to ignore the sound generated by the omnipresent human and his or her activities, which is frequently overlooked in our daily lives. It was interesting to note the differences between participants sound recordings. Some participants recorded more drones or hums, and some chose to record louder sounds like radio sounds or sirens.
We are in a complex sonic exchange with our environments, making, muting, altering, and auditing sound. The workshop’s participants shared their individual findings, including what they found intriguing, what they learned, and what they liked or disliked. The conversation then broadened to discuss cultural norms, ideas on personal sonic space, audio pollution, and comparing the urban sonic landscape of Indonesia in comparison to other countries.
Ends in a positive outcome
Reflecting on this experience, I realise that sound walks have the potential to be an embodied creative practice. The combination of listening and walking resulted in a dynamic, embodied experience that connected the body to the surrounding space and influenced how sounds were perceived throughout the multisensory journey. The walk promotes increased sensory awareness, emphasizing both what is heard and how it is felt in the body. Sensory stimuli influence our walking speed and direction, resulting in a very different walking experience that is more in tune with the nuances of sound and atmosphere, as well as more embodied.
Listening is one of the main perceptual relationships we have with the world around us, with information about space, people, and objects flooding in from all directions. Far from being a passive experience, there are many levels of attention with which we attune our ears. We can hone in on sounds that are important or blend [filter?] others out. Intentional listening deepens our relationship with the environment, fostering a keen ‘sense of place.’
The experience was transformative. I learned about Pasar Keputran not only from Anitha’s extensive knowledge, but also from my own keen senses. Paying attention to the subtle nuances in my auditory world allowed me to be fully present in the present moment, promoting a reflective state despite the noisy market environments. I felt connected not only to my surroundings, but also to the other participants as we shared our sonic experiences, combining the various elements we encountered to create a unique symphony, and then sharing our observations and discoveries.
In conclusion, a sound walk transcends a mere stroll; it is a creative practice that engages both mind and spirit. By tuning into the rich tapestry of everyday sounds, we foster a deeper connection to our surroundings, reaping the numerous benefits of this immersive experience. Sound walks provide a simple yet profound way to reconnect with oneself and the world, offering a reflective and transformative journey through intentional listening.
Cover photo:
Participants making field recording inside Pasar Keputran, Surabaya/Benny Widyo
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Zarani Risjad is a creative producer working in the fields of art and design. Since 2017, Zarani she has been involved in curatorial roles for various exhibitions and creative projects, and currently runs ‘Studio 22nya’ an alternative art space for intimate art exhibitions, in South Jakarta. Zarani is co-founder of creative production studio, Baseline.
