Auralegium
a meditation on time, a sonic documentary of place
The more we learn about time, the more we realize it to be an idiosyncrasy of place; the specific well of gravity we happen to be residing in. No two nows are the same. Each is hyperlocal.
And when we record the sounds of this landscape, what have we captured? Every sign of life -the rustle of the trees, rumble of a lorry, chiming of birdsong, and chirp of the insect - by the time we hear them they have all drifted into an unrecoverable past. Life changes place. Sound moves on. Time flows into the next now.
In this project, recording devices are placed throughout a location such as a wilderness, a factory, a park, or a city street. Recording devices will vary by format (analog/digital) and quality (old microcassettes, high end field recorders). Devices may be placed in water, earth, resting upon the ground, in trees etc. and are arrayed in such a way to capture a variety of points across a bounded terrain such as a farm or a city block.
How it works:
According to a pre-arranged plan, a group of recordists find their location. Upon cue (a clap, a whistle) each recordist begins their recording. Recordists maintain quiet themselves and keep recording regardless of interference or unexpected noise. During this period the recordists are to hold their attention fully on what they are hearing within the environment. They are, in fact, trying to record these events in their own minds. At the end of the determined period of time a signal will be given that marks the end of the recording.
All sounds are then synchronized and played back in a multi-channel audio experience. This may be accompanied by a musical score.
The name “Auralegium” is adapted from florilegium - which originally were botanical drawings documenting the flora of a local place such as an estate or park. The term florilegium later came to signify any collection or anthology of writings.
Saratoga Springs involved 14 recordists; some still, some moving across a landscape full of activity. I asked each person to provide some invocation or blessing during the recording. All 14 were synchronized as much as possible - though the analog recorders tend to warble and drift away over time. All sounds of voices, drums etc. were present in the natural environment around the camp. I brought in recordings added a drone layer to unify the various elements. Photos by Derek Wright.
Goat Rock Beach. Jenner, California. March 15, 4:42PM. Four recording devices arrayed across the shoreline. A video camera captured the westward view.
As part of a lecture to the Expanded Media class at Columbus State University, 21 students set about gathering sound near campus using their mobile phones. These recordings were brought back to the class. Students arrayed themselves across the space corresponding to where they gathered the sound and each mobile device now became a speaker, creating a 21 channel, surround sound audio experience. I added an ambient layer of sound based on a fragment composed that morning.
In this instance the mobile phone, typically an object of distraction, becomes an audio recorder and thus a focusing device that concentrates the mind upon the present task (in this case listening deeply to what you are hearing).
