Soundwalk

Westercamp’s approach to soundwalk is inherently ecological and reaches into ides almost spiritual. Regularly practiced experience of present moment during soundwalks may become an experience meditative. She juxtaposes ‘authoritarian environment’ of human cities inducing huge amount of noise and ‘tiny unheared vices’ of barnacles and points out the imbalance which concerns her. By practicing a conscious and focused listening to natural environments and their marginalised aspects one can regain the lost balance with an almost meditative effect and hear not only ‘barnacles in their whole tinyness’ but also ‘reach their own inner voice’.

It is important to point out that Westercamp doesn’t refuse the use of technology. For example the use of equalisers and bandpass filters allows us to bring up to live all those marginalised and silenced voices. Westercamp says that ‘we should listen to our cities as the native did to the forest’ (1974)[1 The quote is from a text by Westercamp entitled Soundwalking, which sets out the fundamental goals of the practice (Westercamp, 1974:18-27)].

It is, again, about finding the right balance between use of technology and nature by ‘…actively paying attention to current needs, and adopting an approach of awareness’[2 Kamila Stasko-Mazur, Soundwalk as a multifaceted practice, p. 448 (2016)].

Tim Ingold’s concept Being-in-sound follows up Westercamp’s conscious environmental listening by becoming present in the moment which may again results in meditative states of mind.

Reflecting my own experience of Soundwalk whilst blindfolded together with Westercamp’s ideas I found this practice as a good sonic and attention span hygiene. It is not only the auditory noise of the human cities which suppresses marginalised voices of barnacles but nowadays also ‘visual and attention noise’ of social media which drags us out from the experience of present moment and then often devalue various sensory experiences like conscious listening.