Three police helicopters circle over Crown Heights, Brooklyn as part of a police response to a man brandishing a BB gun on a rooftop. March 2020.

Police Helicopters Circling Over Crown Heights

When Fujifilm discontinued it's FP100-C instant films, I sought another means of focusing my attention and scratching my creative itch while traveling. What I caught onto was field recording: pulling short snippets out from the ambient soundscape. 

I'm not very good at this, but the process has certainly helped me to increase my awareness of and attentiveness to "place" wherever I am.

20160530_01_Auburn_RainOnPorch

20160529_12_MountDesertIsland_

20160526_02_DadMowingLawn_Aubu

20160329_08_Bahamas_Nassau_Lov

20160626 Old Montefiori Cemetery: Birds, Passing Planes, Distant City Din

20160703_SandyHook_Beach

Request for silence and "silence" in the Cathedral of Notre Dame. August 2016, Paris, France. 

20160808_05 Paris France Request for Silence and Silence at Notre Dame

Not far from the entrance to Seoraksan National Park is Sinheungsa, a Buddhist temple. Just down the slope from the temple is a small but lively stream coursing over a rocky bed. It gurgles and bubbles beneath the ravens cawing in the trees above.

161128_012-SeoraksanStreamAndRavensCawing

A selection of recordings made over several visits to Yala National Park in December of 2018: water buffalo and birds bathing in a mud hole, ambient soundscape of a tank and fields with a leopard nearby; an elephant cow and two calves grazing.

20181221 SriLanka YalaNationalPark - Soundscape of Tank and Field with Leopard Nearby

20181220 SriLanka YalaNationalPark - Mudhole

Monks drumming in the Ubud Monkey Forest outside of the Pura Dalem Agung Padangtegal temply; Ubud, Bali, December 2019

Monks Drumming, Ubud Monkey Forest, Bali

Squeeky G train car, Brooklyn, NY, March 2020

Squeeky G Train, Brooklyn, NY

As people are doing around the world, here in Brooklyn people head to their windows or their stoops at 7pm each evening to clap, ring bells, and shout in support of our health care workers who are putting their lives on the line everyday giving care to those who are sick, giving comfort to those who are dying and giving hope to the rest of us. 

As the bells and shouts fade away, the strangely quiet hum of the City returns, pierced by sirens. 

This was recorded on Easter Sunday, 2019. 

I can't help but feel that in part we do this for ourselves, as a release of pent up anxiety, stress and anger as much as to show our appreciation.

Easter Day, 7pm bell ringing Brooklyn NY

A short snippet of water rolling into and out from the Rockland Lighthouse Breakwater, Rockland, ME. October 2020.

Rockland Lighthouse Breakwater, Rockland, Maine

I am a process oriented visual artist based in Brooklyn, NY. A frequent traveler, I began recording the sonic terrain of locations foreign and familiar. Of particular interest to me are sites where land meets water and rhythms build.

MichaelNMeyer

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