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I decided to go for a walk this morning here in Kitchener, Ontario. A soundwalk.. Just because it’s something to do; to be connected to a place. 

This is a settlement of course : a city.

What I try to do is listen to sounds past, present, and future at the same time. How does one do that? 

It’s mostly about feeling our way through what was here, and what I assume was forested lands. What is here now is mostly asphalt, brick houses and a few trees. In the future, one could hope that it would come back to a more natural state, in one way or another, but it might also just become what the planet is becoming, which is devastated by climate change and living with the consequences of tipping points that we will have passed. 

So listening in that sense is important to our everyday lives because it can inform us to understand the past, experience the present and anticipate the future. 

So what’s happening here now? It’s a very windy day. It’s almost too much for this recorder. I’m just walking on the street, noticing as much as I can and feeling the wind on my skin, of course. You can hear that there are birds. 

It’s February 26th, 2023, and there are all kinds of little things going on, rattling…

The trees speak to us in their language and I am walking with you, listening. That’s what a soundwalk is. 

Of course, the sound of cars are inevitable in the city and it’s nice when they’re spaced out like that because they can be quite beautiful, when they’re not too numerous. Though the relationship of gas powered vehicles to the environment is an ongoing concern. I’m always on that edge between appreciating the beauty of something and realizing its origins such as the impact of the manufacturing and use of these devices. I try not to pass judgment. I try simply to be in this moment and when it occurs, then I just let that information inform my being in the world. 

My question is : how do you soundwalk?

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This episode was recorded on February 26, 2023 in Kitchener Ontario. 

I am grateful and accountable to the earth and the human labour that provided me with the privilege of producing this episode. (including all the toxic materials and extractive processes behind the computers, recorders, transportation and infrastructure that make this podcast possible).

My gesture of reciprocity for this episode is to the Anishnabeg Outreach in Kitchener.

The post e124 promenade – how do you soundwalk? appeared first on conscient. conscient is a bilingual blog and podcast (French or English) by audio artist Claude Schryer that explores how arts and culture contribute to environmental awareness and action.

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About the Concient Podcast from Claude Schryer

The conscient podcast / balado conscient is a series of conversations about art, conscience and the ecological crisis. This podcast is bilingual (in either English or French). The language of the guest determines the language of the podcast. Episode notes are translated but not individual interviews.

I started the conscient project in 2020 as a personal learning journey and knowledge sharing exercise. It has been rewarding, and sometimes surprising.

The term “conscient” is defined as “being aware of one’s surroundings, thoughts and motivations”. My touchstone for the podcast is episode 1, e01 terrified, based on an essay I wrote in May 2019, where I share my anxiety about the climate crisis and my belief that arts and culture can play a critical role in raising public awareness about environmental issues. The conscient podcast / balado conscient follows up on my http://simplesoundscapes.ca (2016-2019) project: 175, 3-minute audio and video field recordings that explore mindful listening.

season 1 (may – october 2020) : environmental awareness and action Season 1 (May to October 2020) explored how the arts contribute to environmental awareness and action. I produced 3 episodes in French and 15 in English. The episodes cover a wide range of content, including activism, impact measurement, gaming, arts funding, cross-sectoral collaborations, social justice, artistic practices, etc. Episodes 8 to 17 were recorded while I was at the Creative Climate Leadership USA course in Arizona in March 2020 (led by Julie”s Bicycle). Episode 18 is a compilation of highlights from these conversations.

season 2 (march – august 2021 ) : reality and ecological grief Season 2 (March 2021 ) explores the concept of reality and is about accepting reality, working through ecological grief and charting a path forward. The first episode of season 2 (e19 reality) mixes quotations from 28 authors with field recordings from simplesoundscapes and from my 1998 soundscape composition, Au dernier vivant les biens. One of my findings from this episode is that “I now see, and more importantly, I now feel in my bones, “the state of things as they actually exist”, without social filters or unsustainable stories blocking the way”. e19 reality touches upon 7 topics: our perception of reality, the possibility of human extinction, ecological anxiety and ecological grief, hope, arts, storytelling and the wisdom of indigenous cultures. The rest of season 2 features interviews with thought leaders about their responses and reactions to e19 reality.

season 3 (october 2021 – february 2022 ) : radical listening Season 3 was about radical listening : listening deeply without passing judgment, knowing the truth and filtering out the noise and opening attention to reality and responding to what needs to be done. The format is similar the first podcast format I did in 2016 with the simplesoundscapes project, which was to ‘speak my mind’ and ‘think out loud’. I start this season with a ‘soundscape composition’, e63 a case study (part 1) and e64 a case study (part 2), a bilingual speculative fiction radio play, set in an undergraduate university history seminar course called ‘History of 2021 in Canada’. It concluded with a soundscape composition ‘Winter Diary Revisited’.

season 4 (1 january – 31 december 2023) : sounding modernity

About

I’ve been retired from the Canada Council for the Arts since September 15, 2020 where I served as a senior strategic advisor in arts granting (2016-2020) and manager of the Inter-Arts Office (1999-2015). My focus in (quasi) retirement is environmental issues within my area of expertise in arts and culture, in particular in acoustic ecology. I”m open to become involved in projects that align with my values and that move forward environmental concerns. Feel free to email me for a conversation :

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