Quite A Long Entry - Only Read If You Are A Glutton For Punishment!
Quite a long entry - only read if you are a glutton for punishment!
Time is pressing on and I am aware of a slight fear of what I will get done before my course deadline. I have been through my initial essay stress and relaxed again (to some extent). However, before today I was realising that even with having had a bit of interest shown and people saying that they would take part - that I had no proper confirmations and/or set times to record people. I have the feeling that creating a full park community trail is truly something that takes a lot of time planning and then creating. Perhaps this is even more so because I want this to be a community trail, with ‘real’ community voices as opposed to an audio trail written by me and with one narrator. I want to have a large section of the community represented and inevitably it takes time for the word to spread and to get to know people. I have already decided that I will make a small initial trail, perhaps about the top site for the purposes of my coursework - with the plan of completing the rest of the park in my own time. A short trail will nevertheless also require careful thought and planning!
The nature of the work so far is that as expected I am learning day by day. I had the suggestion of creating a Facebook event stating when I plan to be in the park and available to record people, which I will put into action. I could advertise more, but have to remember my limits. At the Crystal Palace Overground Festival today, I met a whole variety of very interesting and helpful people. I feel confirmed that it is a good idea to create an audio trail – however, as already mentioned, it is in theory a vast and far reaching project if truly carried out to the max! One suggestion of something that I hadn’t thought of was that I seek sponsorship – something to consider for the future?
I also learned that the more I talk about the project the (hopefully) better I get at explaining it to people. I am aware it sometimes sounded a bit floury when trying to explain it to people for the first time. I know that this comes from a desire to be open to what comes up in the creative process, as well as it being the first time that I have developed this kind of project. However, I feel that I don’t need to sound so unsure because I clear of my aim – which is that I would like to record people talking in the park, about the park – as a record of current stories, feelings and actions about and in the park – and these will include stories that reflect back to the park’s interesting past.
This journal entry will now cover both Saturday and Sunday of the festival. Sunday was again a day of fantastic spoke word and music (and more that I didn’t see). If there is one thing that this weekend has made clear for me, it is that I am keener than ever to include as much creativity into this trail as possible. I would love to have spoken word and music by local artists as part of the audio soundtrack because I believe it has the potential of engaging listeners all the more.
The experience of further trying out the recording equipment and interview questions on my friend’s daughter reveals that being open and having a relaxed conversational nature (with at the most semi-structured interviews) is a good method. My friend’s daughter was much more natural when put in a position of control and left to herself as such. It also worked to ask fresh, new questions and questions that connected with her feelings. We even had an interesting discussion about what makes a good audio trail. The main feeling was that it shouldn’t be boring and that it should contain humour!
More Posts from Ret-uk and Others
Travelling on the NYC Subway
Testing, testing
Am I causing more distractions for myself or creating something that will be of productive use for my final course project and of an interesting read for others? Only time will tell! Lets see if this posts to Twitter and or Facebook!
July 2016
A selection of photos of my recording travels so far... I have some nice photos of more of the people I have recorded but want to check that they are happy for me to share them publicly before I do....
Brixton to Hoxton to Bunhill Fields to Soho Stories
So at the risk of falling into the English cliché of talking about the weather, I really have found the weather interesting recently. I felt relieved when the weather suddenly turned for the sunnier recently – knowing that I would be inspired and keen to wander the streets of London, with my psychogeography book and phone at the ready. However, this is how today’s journal began…in the tube… ….‘It’s cold and wet and I’ve pulled myself away from my friends and their kids to make my way to Brixton Underground on my journey to Hoxton for the Geffrye and possibly Bunhill Fields if I can get a look in – will possibly look out for some of the cafes I’ve heard mentioned in a pscyhogeography context (courtesy of a website link from a friend:
http://www.classiccafes.co.uk/Psy.html
This will be an experience of a sat afternoon away from my familiar ground – which I am always happy to do – but interesting that these pyschogeography pastures seem to be in East London – an area that has never been my home or work ground – so I at least get to experience some of the wandering experience by following these trails… So, navigating my way around to find the entrance of the Geffrye was my first task and the entrance to the garden itself was even more of a task for me! I did question my navigation skills. I found it though and was able to listen to the entire trail, which involved phoning a number and dialing a hash tag for each listening place. Very easy to follow – the audio trail was to the left og the gardens and the children’s trail to the right.
It gave me some good inspiration for questions to ask when analysing other trials as well as things to ask myself about my own – when I get there. I realized that I will need to listen again because I was too busy writing down thoughts that came to mind and taking photos as well. Which was at least possible with the nature of it being over the phone, because I could also type and photograph at the same time as listening to the loud speaker. Some of the questions inspired or hi-lighted from visiting are:
How interactive is the trail?
What kind of things does it ask you to do/think about?
Are there options for feedback, ways to be involved, a way to continue finding out more and follow on from the experience?
How many different voices are heard? Do we know who the people are?
What point of view is it giving across?
How long is each stop? How long is the trail if you do it all?
Is it sequenced?
Voices talking in everyday speech or some drama included?
Do they invite you to/or suitable to have a communal or individual experience?
Do I take away anything from the trail? An opinion or something I’ve learned?
I managed to do the Geffrye without too much rain, but as I left it started tipping it down! I had planned to walk to Bunhill fields and peer into any cafes along the way. However, I grabbed my phone and ran for the nearest bus! I was not the only person standing in doorways and consulting my phone. I found Bunhill Fields and literally grabbed a few photos as I walked through and then to Moorgate.
I recorded some sound excerpts – of the rain and of me speaking in the rain. I am not so sure that I will publish me speaking on the phone just yet, however, it was today that I realised that recording sound excerpts and even practising speaking myself for audio will be an invaluable experience. If I expect people to sound interesting on my trail, then I need to be able to do it myself. I was wondering if Bunhill fields in torrential rain is what I was destined to see - as I had just spoken to a friend on the phone who I was due to meet up with after and she said that it was pouring with rain when she went there with her book club and so she didn't go in.
I realised a little while back that I am very much restricted in my movements and audio trail listening by the amount of battery life I have. Also how much of my internet allowance I can afford to use! I also contemplated GPS and how in a way it lets you be freer sometimes in your wandering, as you know you can find yourself when you want to be found. I am though nervous of the 1984 feeling that everything and everyone will truly be tracked and monitored very soon (well we are already sort of).
I’m nearly running out of steam here and to be honest I am not even sure if anyone will be with me by this stage. This blog is surely a very personal process type thing…. Hmmm….
So my day ended with a little respite from the rain and a test of a the Soho stories app with a friend. I have to say that this was a positive experience. Very ambient and interesting characters speaking. I only listened to three stories, but have the feeling it will be easy to return and listen to more.
Okay, I had better leave it here for now. Pictures to upload and even more entries that I have not written yet…
I’ve also been working on my blurb to attract people to speak about the park!
Bye for now!!!
#southlondon #blueskies #autumn #autumnsun Love it! (at London, United Kingdom)
Amazing venue for part three of oral history training as part of the #inspiredbythesubway project about @cpsubway .Kingswood house is a hidden gem as is the subway itself. The training has been excellent - to get so much time to discuss and learn from each other over these three days. I'm also looking forward to doing some archive research as part of the subway project. Tomorrow sees more crystal palace culture - when I find out more about the local @funpalaces event, which is just getting started. I can see only fun in such things as the dinos, the hidden subway and more in the park and town. Would be great to develop a kids activity :)
Me having decided that I need to get some practice myself at speaking and trying to express what I am experiencing!
Soho Stories - and yes my next task to be more selective in photos!
Teaching, learning, music, heritage, nature, theatre, stories, art, cats, community, diversity. Kent, U.K. Instagram: @ret_uk
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