As part of my Introduction to Sound Arts unit, I went on a soundwalk around the Elephant and Castle area. A soundwalk is a specific exercise where you walk around a specific area paying attention to the sounds of your surroundings, its important (obviously) to complete a soundwalk in silence. A soundwalk can also be completed blindfolded, this enhances your listening ability as you’re not distracted by what you are seeing.  

This was the first time I had ever gone on a sound walk, I was intrested to see the difference between just walking down the road in everyday life and a soundwalk. We started the walk right on Elephant and Castle roundabout, where there was expectedly lots of noise from cars and building developments. We then walked down some side streets where you could hear the reduction in noise created by the busy roundabout as we got closer to a nearby housing estate. This is where the soundwalk was at its most interesting for me. There was a group of around 15-20 of us on this soundwalk, and as we reached the housing estate this became much more noticeable. To my surprise the estate was almost eerily quiet. And due to this our group was the most prominent sound I heard, lots of footsteps and the odd cough occasionally interrupted by a plane or especially loud car a few roads down.  

As someone who nearly always listens to music when walking around, it was certainly a new experience. I feel that perhaps us being in such a large group made it feel slightly unnatural. Because of this I am keen to start doing small soundwalks myself, switching off the music and paying attention to my surroundings more. In an effort to improve my listening skills in everyday life and hopefully to allow me to apricate or view spaces differently.