courtroom colour – brief 3

The prototype for my Ghosts of RMIT work has become one of my favourite forms of media – soundscapes. Soundscapes allow so much flexibility in creating your ideal image in which my ideal image is no image at all but the one in your head. For popularity’s sake, I hope to work in a 360° panoramic photo to supplement the ambient narrative.

This particular soundscape is a crossover of sorts, being less ambient/immersive and more like a short radio documentary. It is a piece that highlights key events or “colours” that occurred throughout the history of the Old Magistrates’ Court on the corner of La Trobe and Russell Streets, Melbourne. The soundscape begins with the earliest documented court transcription that I could find and ends in subdued static, an attempt to symbolise what is now an RMIT University building’s years of disuse after the Magistrates’ Court was relocated.

As I am an audio lover, it’s nearly always a no-brainer for me to pick sound as my message medium. I know that I should perhaps branch out a little more into the visual world (which is where the panorama comes in) but I believe it’s my forte in comparison. This project was absolutely inspired by the Alter Bahnhof video walk and the Hungry Ghost walk.

The Alter Bahnhof video is one that we briefly studied in class and I studied a lot less briefly at home. It’s described as an alternate world where reality and fiction combine eerily, helping coin the term “physical cinema”. The viewer is instructed to hold their phone up as though the video on screen is a live stream of their reality. Instead, they are led throughout the train station listening and watching a story unfold before them that they’d never have known otherwise. It’s a beautiful immersive piece that successfully combines audio and video. Due to this perfect mesh, I’ve taken the idea of leading a tour with audio narrative to my own project but toned it down a little – a 360° photo is not quite a video but I hope it still gives the uncanny sense of being right there.

My other major inspiration is a Sydney ghost tour of Surry Hills created specifically for smartphones. It’s an app called the Hungry Ghost tour and was created by Mei Tsering with soundscape credit going to Nick Wishart whose other work is absolutely worth checking out, particularly his CeLL project.
http://artsabout.org/artists/nick-wishart/

Concrete Playground describes how to use the app as this:

“After downloading the free app on a smartphone and heading to start point Bourke Street Bakery, individual theatre adventurers are introduced to a sleep-deprived Eddie, who is curious to unearth a troubling family mystery. Eddie finds out more about his Chinese ancestry and tries to feed his Hungry Ghost, and with every step, rarely told stories are uncovered about the early Chinese community who called Surry Hills home.”

I was really enthralled with the idea of being physically led through a suburb whilst listening to stories from a rich yet little known history and Building 20 could easily have a similar thing created for it. This is how I came up with the idea of taking the listener through the ages by highlighting a few key events – some are nearly common knowledge, like the Ned Kelly and Squizzy Taylor trials, whilst events such as the introduction of female clerks during WWII and the Court’s inception as the Court of Petty Trials should really be brought into light (or rather sound).

To me, soundscapes are fantastic in representing history. They offer the chance to combine freedom of imagination with certain narrative boundaries. With a film or recreation, you’re being told what happened and what it looked like which is important when reporting on history. With the Magistrates’ Court being well, a court, I believe it’s important to allow our audience some liberty in their history lesson. With a soundscape, I can let my listeners create connections with the story they’re hearing and their own experiences – a user may imagine an enraged Ned Kelly in his iconic bushranger get-up shouting over a tumultuous crowd inside the court room instead of being shown a stuffy procedure where everyone is dressed and acting respectably.


Next up with this project is the 360° photo. Using a software called Pano2VR, I aim to have a slow rotation of the photo going for the same length as the soundscape where the user can tap on certain sections for more information on the event being played in the soundscape.
VARIATIONS
1. User controlled rotation – may stop the user from listening to the full piece as they may only be involved in the photo
2. Auto info – brief information pop ups as the soundscape plays
3. Pause on info – if the user wishes to read more, then the soundscape may loop the section that it is playing
4. Tap driven soundscape – cut the soundscape into sections and have it optional to only play each event as it is explored within the courtroom.

I may need help with this software and am also considering upgrading from Garageband (it’s a little clunky but gets the job done) to something more professional such as Ableton Live or Logic Pro if the soundscape is to be released and/or incorporated into the app and website.

relevant reading is really revelatory

Thus, to listen to a sound is to listen to the entire body of the sound world in microdetail.

My thoughts exactly. This article by Brandon LaBelle loudly describes how the potential for sound to represent place is untapped and oft-disregarded. He makes an interesting statement about ‘sites’ and ‘non-sites’ which are the place in which a soundscape is hosted, and where it refers to – “[…] in so far as sounds are removed form their indigenous environment and composed into a “musical” work […] yet these sounds are given weight by their continual referral to the actual site of their origin”

To me, a soundscape represents a place but also a time period, a culture and a conversation. These four points will be the basis for my Brief 4 content where I’ll yet again create a sound piece. For Building 20, I want to create a music between key events in its history, linking a story that wasn’t realised and transporting the listeners to along a (mostly) non-fiction sound journey.

LaBelle talks about how recording a place to bring it to life can alter its reality, informing that “one has to content with the interferences of its very representation, mediation, and ultimate dislocation”. Time is my interference here, as the stories I want other to hear have already passed. This could be to my benefit though because no one can question a little creative license. There’s a few newspaper clippings I’ve found in online archives that tell court cases in great detail, so there should be no dislocation in my representation of them.

This is a reading that I actually enjoyed and found useful to my project (probably because it just solidifies my opinions on sound). Thank you very much Rachel!

field trip

I’m really getting into the practical part of this ghostly space stuff. Definitely deserve extra marks, even though I haven’t been to class like ever because I am an international worldly girl.

In the States this time around. I spent two days on seven different flights and a lot of burger-flipping money to get here. I spent 12 hours (maybe less) with an uncle I haven’t seen in ten years. We’ve grown in opposite directions apparently.

Most of my ground time has been spent in a car so far, and I’ve come across a very neat app relevant to whatever it is we’re studying in this class. Screen Shot 2015-06-09 at 10.19.50 pm
This is one of those geo-location appy things that seep into your daily movements. Literally. It’s a GPS service that provides an alternative to Google Maps. What’s neat about it is its use of networks – the tagline “Outsmarting traffic, together” is a perfect summary. Users of the app are able to see other online drivers who share their route and their knowledge of hazards, traffic jams and cops. It also incorporates a game-like feature where the more things you report on the roads (thereby benefiting your fellow Wazers), the more points you get to buy avatar upgrades. Mine looks like the car from Dumb and Dumber.

I wonder if it works in Australia. Not that I have a car.

https://www.waze.com/

a cemetery – brief 2

My group has created something monstrous. Around 5000 words of actual research towards an app I hope we do not have to make. The topic is incredibly interesting but I have no application programming skills.

“We are researching Google related apps for place/map making. This is to determine if and how we can use Google Maps to potentially create our own prototype app. In order to do this, we will be looking at current apps that use Global Positioning Systems to implement augmented space material, where users have virtual experiences based on their surroundings. As a result, we will need to have a sound understanding of what the term “augmented place” means.”

My wonderful group members have helped compile all the odds and ends and will present in my stead, as I am still not entirely there.
Continue reading

noticing myself

Here we have a reading telling us all to always think about ourselves. Maybe not just ourselves, but our actions and their consequences. This sounds like something about climate change and saving animals. Maybe it’s relevant to that, but to me, the reading by John Mason got linked to noticing myself in places and spaces (of course).

Even as I write this, I’m biting my nails. It’s a horrible habit and one I’ve wanted to stop for years but I just never notice. Mason says to alter our actions we have to broaden our sensitivity to the different aspects of whatever it is you’re practising – in my case, close encounters between hand and mouth. As it has been getting to the point where my fingers look ragged and bleed, I’ve tried nailing down triggers. My hands are never bitten at work, where I maintain proper food hygiene levels, or on public transport, where I also maintain proper hygienic practices. I’ve noticed my nail biting is most frequent in places where I allow myself to feel stress – home, study areas etc.

Nail-biting began when I was first in school, spending my time at the library reading fiction and biting cuticles instead of biting actual food. This has followed me into all types of reading and writing, be it the stress of a fantasy character fleeing, or an overdue assignment. Though this type of place is augmented, I believe it’s relevant as the biting follows me online. Realising I don’t even notice what is cannibalistic self-mutilation is a pretty scary pointer to other things I may not know about myself. It’s a very good practice to notice, and it could definitely turn a (head) space into a (non-biting) place.

The essence of noticing is being awake to situations, being mindful rather than mindless.

i know all your secrets

I can now say I’ve been to the Public Records Office.

I can now also say I know what a Public Records Office is.

There is over 100kms of ancient and dusty material down there. We were told that the they’ve collected all sorts of things over the years – personal memories of events that created big and small changes within Victoria’s short life (but long in comparison to my own). I mean, there’s gotta be plenty of boring bits but seeing eras-old bullets was pretty cool. It was also pretty cool because they like to keep the temperature even down there. Maybe something to do with the preservation of important documents etc. I dunno.

I’d be absolutely interested in looking at old designs of buildings but there isn’t much on RMIT other than industrial-looking blueprints. North Melbourne is also quite hilly and my legs get tired riding there. My sense of place about it is that it’s for very motivated people who deserve better marks than I.

they know where you live

This studio has gotten us onto a few interesting and very “this makes me seem well-informed and edgy” topics. In relation to Creswell’s article on the definition of space, we’ve talked about geo-location apps and services.

“At a time when multiple alienations of modern society threaten our sense of belonging, the importance of place to creative possibility in life and art cannot be underestimated.”

Whilst this quote addresses art, it’s also relevant to our sense of augmented place – geological information services merging with our personal online connections. What we’ve created is are online spaces, and sometimes places, where the companies and brands we once were able to visit on our own terms now come to us. They knock on our doors, follow us to work, break through the windows. One of my classmates reminded us how most of those with smartphones are tracked constantly, Siri and Google telling us exactly how long it would take to get to work.

This information is assumed. Never have I ever told Google Maps exactly where I work, but it understands that a place I visit four to five days a week, for five to ten hours a day, and occasionally gets directed to using the GPS service, is where I spend my time flipping burgers. It’s uncanny. I’m scared that it will start noticing my late night travels to Malvern and assume I deal drugs there or something. Or maybe it’ll read my messages saying “On my way” and know it’s my boyfriend. Creepy.

reviving ghosts – brief 1

The judicial precinct of inner city Melbourne has very recently come under scrutiny, particularly the area located on the corner of Russell and La Trobe Streets. The building currently standing there is Building 20 of my own university, RMIT, and as with most other RMIT buildings it was not built for the purpose of tertiary education. The site was built upon first in 1842 with a structure much more modest than the one existing today for the purpose of hosting the Supreme Court of Victoria. A few years later saw the building become the Court of Petty Sessions before being completely replaced by the Magistrates’ Court in 1910. This court is the same stately building that stands on Russell and La Trobe as a part of RMIT University. The photo below shows it in its early years, when the streets were emptier and blocks were undeveloped._5BMelbourne_Magistrates_Court_and_Russell_Street_Magistrates court

 

IMG_3362

 

 

 

 

 

Building 20 stretches along both streets for nearly half a block in either direction and holds an impressive height for a building over one hundred years old. Visiting in the late afternoon allowed me to view the foundations in a delicate, warm lighting that flattered its architecture and played down the grime accumulated on ledges that were hard to reach.

IMG_3364It personified an old and proud man who has reached the end of his working abilities, not necessarily providing a welcoming atmosphere but standing in patient silence. Had I been able to enter the building to explore, I’m sure it would have been just as grand on the inside IMG_3366but that is only speculation seeing as it is now a building employed by RMIT. I felt as though the space was private and sacred, similar to a library. Trees surrounding the building helped mask the signs of street life and gave off an autumnal feel – the lighting was very rich (though the photos don’t show it) and served to highlight the delicate balance between care and neglect. I felt like I could imagine how stately it would have been as the Magistrates’ Court. You can definitely see the history in the building, particularly when you compare the archway to this sketch of it below.

sketch of courts

IMG_3367Night time was a very different story. Going off the photos, I wouldn’t have immediately placed the sketch as the same place. Viewing buildings in darkness can have a very intimate effect but that is not the case with Building 20 and it’s definitely due to its structure. An imposing building even in the warm afternoon light, Building 20 looks like the intimidating court where many people were sentenced harsh punishment it once was. Behind the walls of the court are notable ghosts – Ned Kelly was sentenced to death and Collin Ross was punished for crimes he never committed. However, there was hardly any sign of activity or life within the thick walls and I felt quite alone though the street was busy. IMG_3370The trees block out light from the street so the shadows are quite deep and eerie. Standing inside the archway no longer made me feel pensive, instead I was uneasy. There was nowhere to stand that didn’t seem exposed yet it still seemed like something could be hiding in shadow. It was an uncomfortable sensation and it was no better on either sides of the building.

IMG_3369

The morning sun was similar to its afternoon counterpart, though its ambience was closer to that of the night. Building 20 doesn’t have much going for it if it’s only tolerable during a few hours before the sun sets. What was hidden before was now shown in stark contrast, dirt and growths exposed by the bright light. There was activity everywhere on both Russell and La Trobe and it was not conducive to viewing the building peacefully. I couldn’t see the beauty that was there the afternoon before nor the unsettling solemnity from the night and the modern street signs clashed with the old limestone. It was displacing. However, I did finally find refuge in the archway again. Most court sessions would have been held during the day and from the photo below, it seems like they would’ve progressed without having the street bustle interrupt them. This could never been the case now with the constant flow of people walking, talking, taking photos – an audience that is ready to attack whether they know it or not. It made me feel almost sad for the building. No one notices the history hidden behind the walls during the day, and no one dares during the night. If Building 20 were a person, you would break down their walls, but that’s not a viable idea seeing as it is part of the National Estate Register. I’m unsure as to whether Building 20 would be better off celebrating its deep history more or if it will only survive the future by continuing to truly only open up for a few hours every day (weather permitting).

 

References:

Dalton, Simon. The Old Melbourne City Watch House: Fast-forward to the Past [online]. Agora, Vol. 43, No. 4, 2008: 60-62. Availability: <http://search.informit.com.au/documentSummary;dn=490096764027465;res=IELAPA> ISSN: 0044-6726. [cited 12 Mar 15]

 

meeting ghosts

“Sense of place refers to the more nebulous meanings associated with a
place: the feelings and emotions a place evokes. These meanings can be
individual and based on personal biography or they can be shared. Shared
senses of place are based on mediation and representation. When we write
‘Calcutta’ or ‘Rio’ or ‘Manchester’ for instance, even those of us who have
not been to these places have some sense of them – sets of meanings
produced in films, literature, advertising, and other forms of mediation.”

This studio will focus on how we determine the difference between a space and a place. It will somehow also incorporate ghosts? I have to admit that I’m confused, though that could be because I’ve only just arrived back in Australia from Thailand.

Going on a before and after tangent here, Thailand is a country worth experiencing. I expected the classic Australian party destination, a non-stop harassment of senses and cheap, fake delights. I now associate Thailand with stark contrasts in poverty and consumerism, selfishness and blind ecstasy, and Nike shoes.

The country is wildly different to Australia and I have to say that it was an abrupt realisation. This class would have me study a singular building at my university that I’m not particularly keen on knowing about, but my head is still reeling from the whirlwind tour.