Throughout the course of this interview with Avi, I learned exactly how he created his audio clip. Avi explored, going through and Arc’teryx and a Kiehl’s, before finally wandering outside. Meanwhile, he recorded the entire trip and then took the most interesting parts from that longer recording. As I was asking my questions, I realized how my own opinions had impacted the questions I thought to ask. When I had created my own recording, I had deliberately searched for an interesting sound to try to record, and I found that the questions I had written reflected this. It was eye-opening to see how differently we thought about the same tasks.
”New Yorkers always have somewhere to be.” – Emily
Questions asked during the interview:
Where was your sound recording taken?
Emily has said that her recording was taken around the streets of the Macaulay Building.
What made you choose this sound?
Emily said that she chose to do a recording on the sounds made on the streets of NYC because New Yorkers always have somewhere to be so there would constantly be noises on the streets of NYC.
If you can choose to make a recording on a different sound, what would it be?
Emily said that she would go into a cafe and record the background music because it is normally calming to listen to.
Dalia recorded a group of Macaulay students playing certain instruments in the cabaret room. She thought the sound was unique compared to anything else.
It was the first and last sound that I heard in the Macaulay Building.
My approach to recording the sounds of the city consisted of immediately recording my whole venture and visiting various stores to capture both the outdoors and indoors of the city. I then trimmed the recording down to the places I’ve gone to (the outside, Arc’teryx, and Kiehl’s).
As I interviewed Steven about his journey, I assumed he approached the assignment in the way I did, but soon discovered that I was wrong. Rather than recording his whole journey, he wandered around the area with no set destination and attempted to capture a nice sound like “birds,” the “sweeping” of a broom, and “traffic.”
Though we approached the task very differently, our recordings still resulted in what we believe to be the essence of the city–mine on consumerism and his on serenity.
We recorded our audio clips in Central Park, but we managed to capture different aspects of it.
As we were walking through the park, we noticed the difference between the atmospheres of Manhattan and the Bronx. Dasani managed to capture the sound of birds chirping in a bush, leading me to ask about whether she had heard similar sounds in her neighborhood. In part of her response she said,
The Bronx seems to be quite dead. I wish that there were more nature-centered places, and I kind of wish we had some like Manhattan.
This statement captured my attention as I also noticed the differences between the nature sounds in Manhattan and in the Bronx. At Lehman I manage to see glimpses of nature like a seagull or a falcon, but I rarely see them around where I live.
On our way to the park, however, we stumbled upon a deeper issue. I had mentioned that I overheard a conversation between locals who were discussing which country they should go to for vacation. We had found this exchange amusing because, as residents of less wealthy neighborhoods, we rarely talk about going on vacation, much less a vacation to a different country. Dasani summarized our thoughts in the following statement:
I feel like there’s a lot of wealthy people here. By their mannerisms you can tell there’s a class divide.
Hearing Dasani’s thoughts about her feelings of alienation were really insightful, and it is interesting that a walk in a park led to this discussion.
The audio makes Amna feel the vastness of the city. She says it makes her think of the people of New York. For her, she likes that the people of New York mind their business, but she notes that once you get into a conversation with one– good luck!
Even though the people may have their ups and downs, Amna really loves the visual aspect of New York, something an audio doesn’t capture. She’s a big fan of the buildings here and thinks the architecture is really gorgeous. She mentions that the cultural diversity really adds to the sounds of New York.
Though the architecture enchants her, she doesn’t always come to the city because the public transportation is a real hassle. She dislikes how crowded it gets, and the sheer volume of people that are always in the subway, specifically.
Overall, Amna would still recommend people come to New York because it is a good experience, and you get to meet a lot of people different from you.
Marisa took this video in Central park. One of the questions I asked her was what she likes about this particular park? She responded by saying that she like nature, animals, birds in the Central Park. It’s also a great sight for people watch. You see a lot of cultural diversity and tourists. It’s also very beautiful, peaceful and quiet. Marisa also mentioned that she comes here once or twice a month .
Marisa thinks that Central Park is unique as an individual gets to experience and see things that they might not see in other parts or NYC, for example, Horse carriages. You don’t see many horse carriages in NYC but you see it here. Its also a place for runners where they can practice for marathons. It’s a great place for bird watch.
This is a recording in Central Park of horses walking and I asked questions to Iman to see what he thought of it.
Question 1: What does this sound make you think of?
Iman: It reminded me of the ancient times as the tempo of the horse’s footsteps brought back old vibes and a nostalgic feeling. It showed how advanced technology is and how it has improved over the decades.
Question 2: What role does it play in New York?
Iman: The role that it plays in New York is an example of evolution as it was an example of the past and the present. The audio showed me the change from the horses to horse power like cars and reminded me on how busy and hectic New York is.
Question 3: How do you relate to the sound?
Iman: I am constantly on the go like a horse as I am always working towards a goal whether that be in academically or basketball related. In basketball, the ball is high as the horses can be. Horses relates to my school, personal, and basketball life.
I recorded this in Central Park. I focused on the nature aspect and the birds stood out to me.
When I was talking to my partner Audrey about her POV of NYC, One thing that I liked was when she said
“I only come here when I need to go to the Macaulay building , I also do a lot of people watching “
This was my favorite quote because I related to it. Especially the people watching part because I tend to compare myself to the rich people I see around this area. I am sometimes at awe of how we have different lives, and they have certain financial privileges that I can’t imagine myself having.
I went into the 66th Street-Lincoln Center subway station and created a 20 second recording of 1 train entering the station. I, Lina, asked Emma, a fellow Macaulay student, what these sounds meant to her.
My question: “Do these sounds remind you of your own experiences growing up in NYC?”
Emma: My earliest memories are of me taking the subway. Listening to the audio reminds me of when I was very young, still in a stroller, and my mom was trying to get us through the door in the station into the train. I’m reminded of the snacks she would give me, which were usually cranberries. This recording brought me to the sour taste of the fruits she would give me on the train. I think taking the train is an experience shared by many New Yorkers, so I would say it’s an integral part of my identity as someone who grew up and lives in NYC.
My question: “Which sounds are familiar or unfamiliar to you?”
Emma: The sound that struck me the most was the screeching of the train wheels on the tracks. It is the most jarring sound, but it is very characteristic of the experience of taking the train. Just as New Yorkers have an identity, the trains themselves also have an identity. Each train line is unique, and furthermore, each train itself has its own charm. Hearing these screeches of the train on the tracks makes me think of my previous thoughts about locomotives. There are bullet trains that are quick and silent, but the trains of the MTA are loud and eccentric, just as New Yorkers are. They are full of life. Some have orange seats, while others bear blue ones. The 6 line has its iconic diamond and circle.
My question: “What kinds of feelings do these sounds evoke?”
Emma: Firstly, nostalgia. As I said before, I have so many memories of taking the train throughout my entire life. But besides thinking about the past, I also think of the future of the MTA. The subway system in NYC has so much history, and some would say since it is so old some of its technology is outdated. How will these rapid changes be adapted to? I also think about how vast the system is. Each train line can take you to very different places across the city. There’s a unique journey starting every time you step on a train in New York City.
I placed my recording device on the window ledge of Classroom 2 facing 67th street. My phone picked up a few cars, a helicopter, and the sounds of construction.
The noise here is a 2/10. In the Bronx it’s an 8/10.
-Ismael
I personally find solace in sitting quietly, especially after a particularly busy day which is why I chose to record this sound.
I asked Ismael about his relationship to silence, or a lack thereof. In our interview, he described the difference in noise awareness during the day and at night. While during the day when one is occupied with other things, noise is not very noticeable, at night, the noise outside the room is very present- dogs barking, the bodega music playing, people arguing, etc.
When asked about whether he prefers the noise or the silence, he said he prefers the NYC noise because he is used to it. He does remember, however, his time in Mali when he had “the best sleep of his life.”
“The noise in Mali is mostly nature, not people like here.”
With only a 20 second audio recording in the streets of New York, I was able to get very interesting answers of Danielle Ashurov’s perspective of the heart of New York.
The audio recording had sounds of cars, laughing, honking, and nature. I was curious to find out what these sounds could elicit through the interview.
Q: Can you name 3 prominent noises and why these stood out?
Danielle’s answer was similar to my own, hearing loud laughing, light conversation, and the cars driving on the street. However, she had picked up the word “nostalgia” being said in background conversation where I hadn’t. It was interesting to see what different sounds we gravitated towards and identified
Q: Try and identify the place where you think these recordings happened. Why do you think this?
Danielle and I were in the same area, so this question was one she already knew, but she identified it specifically as Manhattan because of the noises and
Q: Think of 5 words to describe this audio clip. Why did you choose these words?
” Chaotic, Harmonious, Comfortable, Synonymous, Life” were the words Danielle used, and I was specifically interested in her choice of the word ‘life”.
“I’ve grown accustomed to those noises,” Danielle said, and hearing the sounds of cars and joyous laughter have become akin to life for her.
New York City is a place of laughter, loud noises, and life for so many. This interview exercise was a great way to understand my classmates better and discover more of NYC.
I recorded this on the corner of Broadway and W66th St.
Julia recorded her audio right by Central Park. It was mostly because it was right there and a good place to pick up sounds. She also has previous experience not only as a native New Yorker but also because she likes to walk through Central Park. In her free time, she likes to write and is a part of Girls’ Write Now and the Macaulay Messenger. Additionally, she is currently working on a future novel. She is a Hunter College student majoring in Political Science and thinking of double majoring in Public Health. The experience has been exciting so far especially picking out her own classes.
Kelly recorded this clip while walking with our MHC cohort through Central Park. When recording this clip she said that she noticed how sociable people are and how this aspect of New York is a prime inspiration for her artwork. When speaking about this it prompted her to show me one of her NYC-inspired artwork pieces called Space Panda. Growing up in Brooklyn and now living in Queens has exposed her to a range of sounds and background noise that she said range from noisy to dead silence. However, what was mainly pointed out throughout this interview was how perspective can range greatly and one point of focus can draw two different types of inspiration. Below is her artwork titled Space Panda, that reminds her of this audio.
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