Annotating observations has been an interesting experience for me over this 2 weeks. Although, I have to admit that I found this exercise quite confusing at first because I was not sure of what I should be listening or looking for. But with practice, I have found sensory observations to be a fun and sensory awakening experience.
Having sat down concentrating on listening to sounds from my surroundings from this sound observing exercise made me realised many interesting aspects of sound. Sound can tell stories, emotions, feelings, how much objects weigh, etc. For example, I heard a loud bang from the street below my apartment. Without seeing what was causing the sound, I simultaneously associated the sound I heard with heavy metal objects banging against another similar object and turned out it was the sound of a truck moving on a bumpy road surface. Another example from this auditory observation is siren noise. I heard the siren and could feel it moving very fast passed my building. From my memory, I knew that this sound must come from an ambulance or police car. The sound makes me think about accidents or someone in need of urgent cares.
For visual observations, I conducted my observation at Woolworth on Lygon Street. From this, I noticed that the place is very systematic. The product placement in the supermarket is well-organised and separated into categories such as fresh produce and household items. I have also noticed the way products are displayed together such as having popcorns, chips and soft drinks in the same aisle. I think this is the way the supermarket provides convenience to their customer. On the other sides, this could also be perceived as a marketing tactic that the supermarket used to influence customers to buy more products than what they would actually need.
As I have admitted in the introductory class that I have always thought myself to be quite an inattentive person. And my aims of joining this studio are to develop my observation and critical thinking skills. Prior to this assignment, I knew that I have rarely been observing, trying to understand or questioning what was happening around me.
From doing this assignment, I feel that I have developed a better and deeper understanding of space and different sounds, the meaning of them and the ways they influence me. It is interesting to know how a sound or a thing can carry different meanings and feelings in which these perceptions can also vary between individuals. People can have a strong connection with particular sound or space, in association with their memories or experiences which makes their experience with the particular sound or space meaningful.
Progress Posts:
Week 1B: Introduction to sound observations