THE SOUNDS OF PACIFIC STREET
...A ciphered river of streets, a mobile language of computations and rationalities that belong to no one. -de Certeau
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FIELD WORK IN MY COMMUNITY & EVERYDAY LIFE PRACTICE:
The project began with a bike ride, mapping the beginning and end of the street that I live on in Brooklyn, New York. I made notes of vacant buildings, community gardens, schools, businesses, street life, etc. Pacific Street stretches across the center of Brooklyn, intersecting various neighborhoods from East New York, Weeksville Community, Crown Heights, Fort Green, Downtown Brooklyn, to Brooklyn Heights.
The initial field study evolved into 'The Sounds of Pacific Street', a project that consists of 7 audio recorded walks, which vary in length and direction. Each walk has a particular destination: the subway, the pharmacy, the grocery store. The recordings either start or end at my house on Pacific Street.
SOUND AND LANGUAGE IN EVERYDAY LIFE:
Car radios, horns, service trucks, trains, buses, cell phones, conversation, machinery, construction, weather patterns, animals or playgrounds all emit audio signals.
What effect do these varied signals have on our behavior? How do they relate to our actions and interactions?
Lingering, red lights, rush hour, day and night all play a role in the final recordings. As the recorder I can manipulate the recordings by choosing where to cross the street, how fast to walk, etc.
The recordings act as one anonymous voice, created collectively by the greater community around me.
Photo Journal of Home & Pacific Street:
Rooftop activity
Beekeeping demo (photo by Nathan F)
photo by Nathan Fitch
