Thanks for listening, Tony. Just so you know though, all the recordings are=
real-time and unedited. so no derivations from spaces but the actual space=
s.
And the Daintree is amazing. Spent a few days there a couple of years ago. =
Couldn't believe how loud it was, especially at night.
Loved listening to your causse-du-larzac recording. Is that sizzling a near=
by river or brook, or the microphones? Curious cos I have that in a lot of =
my quiet recordings as well...
Peter
On 06 Jun 2012, at 16:47, soundings23 wrote:
> Thank you for all the contributions.
>
> David, I like the idea of being able to hear the thermal sound of air ("a=
clear high pitched hiss"). And also your point that "most listeners' noise=
backgrounds are higher than the "quiet" sounds of nature" - which to me ma=
kes recording and presentation of such sounds even more interesting.
>
> Vicki, my experience of listening to creatures at night is that they ofte=
n appear to my ears bigger than they actually are. I stood in the dark of D=
aintree forest in Queensland once, what later I found out were scrubfowl so=
unded as if they were cassowary - which we'd been told can be aggressive. A=
s you say, that does rather focus the hearing!
>
> Peter - quiet as the space between events is compelling - and yes, I cert=
ainly recognise that in Feldman's work ("For Philip Guston" for instance to=
me is much about the space between events as the events themselves). I lis=
tened to your recordings btw, and liked the different "quiets" derived no d=
oubt from the resonances of the different spaces in which they were recorde=
d. Has prompted me to think of seeking out such places ... and I posted on =
Soundcloud a recording I did some years ago on the Causse du Larzac - which=
is quiet, but at the same time full of detail. http://soundcloud.com/tonyw=
hitehead/causse-du-larzac
>
> all the best
>
> Tony
>
> --- In 404 <> wrote:
> >
> > yes, silence is too difficult a term. I use "quies" for my work. "rest,=
repose, quiet" in latin.
> > Because like the stories that are related here, quies (or silence, or q=
uiet) is not a stable state, it's what happens in between sonic events. the=
space between sound if you want. and the space in which sound happens.
> > in music, quies is morton feldman to john cage's silence, if that makes=
sense.
> > in nature it's the ... before the storm, or in my experience, that lull=
when the wind drops in the desert
> > in the theater, it's that split second at the end before the audience b=
reaks out in applause or taboos
> > most importantly, it's a state of mind, rather than a state of nature, =
because we all know there's never nothing in nature. and besides, whether t=
hings are really there or not might not matter all that much, as listening =
is a subjective experience anyhow.
> >
> > On 06 Jun 2012, at 06:11, soundings23 wrote:
> >
> > > Clearly "silence" is a contested word, but personally I don't have an=
y issue with not attributing it to situations that might better be describe=
d as quiet.
> > >
> > > The differing experiences of "quiet" are however very interesting.
> > >
> > > Years ago, I was standing with a group of people at night (composers/=
sound artists on a course as it happened) by the River Dart here in Devon. =
We were on a sound walk and it was a particularly still August evening. Con=
versation fell away and we became still. As we did so I felt a "rushing in"=
- an almost physical pressure. It was quite startling, but I've experience=
d it a number of times since when I've purposefully put myself in similar s=
ituations. Its the sort of experience that is personal and no recording tec=
hnology could replicate - but I recognise it in experiences related in this=
thread.
> > >
> > > I don't wish to overanalyse, but I'd be intrigued in a wider sharing =
of experiences of such quiet places to see if there's any commonality, or i=
f our experience's differ widely.
> > >
> > > --- In "Jez" <tempjez@> wrote:
> > > >
> > > > quickly:
> > > >
> > > > these 'silences' aren't silent. What tends to happen is the extreme=
quietness combined with the listeners attempts to perceive it lead to a si=
tuation where:
> > > >
> > > > 1) on a psychological level, one accepts the definition of silence=
> > > > 2) on a physical level, the ears attempt to adjust to the surroundi=
ngs & to 1)
> > > >
> > > > the combination means that 'silence' is the surface perception. The=
re are all kinds of sounds present, even in the disorienting stillness of t=
he most quiet places on earth (such as deep caves or deserts) but, as is th=
e way of us humans, it is easier for us to apply filters to our perception =
of what is there.
> > > >
> > > > micro / macro listening to these places or recordings of them revea=
ls a wealth of sound, all be it on a sometimes very subtle level.
> > > >
> > > > it's amazing to perceive stillness & amazing to hear whats there at=
those times.
> > > >
> > > > --- In 404 <404@> wrote:
> > > > >
> > > > > Thanks for this, Raimund. Fascinating stuff!
> > > > >
> > > > > On 05 Jun 2012, at 19:39, Raimund wrote:
> > > > >
> > > > > > <But every now and then there's moments where the wind lies dow=
n and the
> > > > > > flies stay away and it's silent. Not quiet. But silent. I'm sur=
e that anyone who's ever driven into the Australian outback or desert know =
what I'm talking about. I can highly recommend it>
> > > > > >
> > > > > > Peter,
> > > > > >
> > > > > > I think I know what you are talking about. I experienced that s=
tunning silence several times shortly after sunset while camping in the Son=
oran Desert (Arizona).
> > > > > >
> > > > > > There is a simple explanation for that kind of silence: A stron=
g temperature gradient in the air above the ground creates a sonic shadow r=
egion for each sound source (the ground is still hot, but the air is gettin=
g cooler at night). See http://www.acs.psu.edu/drussell/Demos/refract/refra=
ct.html. So, I think there is still some noise around, but it just cannot b=
e heard due to these refraction effects.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > Regards,
> > > > > > Raimund
> > > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > >
> > >
> > >
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
>
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