Soundwalk

What I Hear On Sunday at 10:05 am during my weekly trip to Trader Joe's on Court Street in Brooklyn Heights, I decided to go on my "Soundwalk". Downtown Brooklyn is an area I frequent, so I figured this would be an ideal time to really pay attention to the things that I hear. Generally, when I come to this area alone, like I do on Sundays I am wearing headphones, so this was quite interesting for me. I opted to get off the C train at the Clinton and Washington station and walk straight down Fulton Street. I heard birds chirping when I immediately stepped foot out of the station, but that was immediately drowned out by the sound of car blaring Drake. In a place like New York, it isn't the easiest to focus on a particular sound, generally there are multiple sounds simultaneously, which means I had to make the decision to focus on a particular sound.  As I walked down Fulton, I heard ska music, from an artist I am not familiar with coming from the table of a Rastafarian man selling incense, shea butter, and oils.  As I continue on, I hear a mother talking to her daughter firmly about not buying any cookies that the little girl spots at a newsstand. I hear over and over that very unique sound the bus makes when it comes to a halt. I hear more music coming from another table, this time from an older black man playing 90s R&B music, he's selling books.  A man running in place next to me at the light so as to not ruin his momentum is breathing hard, then speeds off as the light changes to green. I then hear the sound of a squeegee, as a young man cleans the window of a store selling fitted caps and sneakers. The occasional siren and car horn serve as the back drop, as i continue on down Fulton. I begin to approach Court Street, and I decide to end my Soundwalk there. It was quite refreshing to focus not only on the things that I saw, but to listen intently as well.

Project 1 from Iman on Vimeo.