Soundscape: Remembering

Imagine

My aim was to create the impression of exploring an imaginary library with one's ears, as the listener sits between the shelf-like structures within this zone. The composition weaves its way through a series of recordings made at different libraries across Singapore, guiding the listener through the unique aural qualities and ambiances of places typically defined by their quietness or 'silence'. The listener moves through these libraries searching for different books: The books open, the pages turn and the listener's ears are momentarily plunged into imaginary sound worlds - some natural and contemplative, others mechanised and abrasive.

Use of Silence

The entire composition runs at 1 hour 27 mins, 3 cycles of 29 minutes. Each cycle of 29 minutes is identical barring one aspect; each is interspersed with silence at different points, determined by chance (more on this later). There are 5 durations of silence within each cycle (60, 30, 15, 10 and 5 seconds), totaling 2 minutes:

The use of silence is a key aspect to the form of the sound composition in all of the zones. In this zone, the total duration of silence refers to the notion of observing two minutes of silence out of respect for the Old National Library Building.

Another reason I chose to use silence is to encourage the audience to listen to the real soundscape that surrounds them and wake up to how hearing plays an extremely important role in how we perceive and interpret our environment. Before each segment of silence the listener hears a short, sharp "sshhh!" (as indicated in the visual score above), which marks the sudden shift in their aural focus from the composed to the real.
  
There is perhaps an interesting parallel between the use of silence and the fact that our team were asked to remove any reference to the Old NLB within the official write up for our work, so as not to upset certain people. Luckily, this isn't the official write up, so I feel obliged to tell you the truth. Isn't it apt that our site-specific proposal provoked a site-specific form of censorship!? The rather forceful sounding "sshhh!" assumes a different kind of relevance from this angle.

Memory Loss

When economic imperatives shape our concept of what it means for a city to grow, the delicate balance between place and memory is often put into jeopardy. The zeitgeist of expediency takes primacy over the preservation of so-called 'intangible' aspects of the cities we live in; places of social, cultural and historical importance are prone to vanishing, left to fade away in the uncertainty of memory. 

If we conceive of the built environment as being an extension of our collective conscious, then this self-induced amnesia threatens to sever our sense of identity through the removal of our shared heritage.

I do believe each generation should look towards its future and embrace change where necessary, but not through the erasure of our collective memories, which are intrinsically tied to place. In expressing the on-going cycle of transformation, ||| Movement attempts to re-connect these severed links within Singapore's urban psyche. It seeks to find a balance between past, present and future, a moment of equilibrium between nature, modernity and history.