Week 5: Scent

 

Walk Details

Date: October 17, 2020

Time: 2:30 pm

Weather: Sunny

Temperature: 93 degrees Fahrenheit

Air Quality Index: 48

The Creative Exercise

Recreate a scent from your walk using a visual medium - drawing, photography, sculpture, digital media, or other

Attempt to bring home or reproduce the scents of your walk (bring home flowers, leaves or dirt; crush or dry plant matter or try this vaporization method from Science Friday!) share some record of this via your blog

Results

Reflections

I found myself gravitating towards plants that have edible portions (the wild grape, the blackberry, random rosemary bushes) to explore scents. I think this was an easier way to begin the walk because I knew roughly what I should expect to smell from those plants. As I continued along, searching for flowers to scent (which are actually in short supply in natural areas this time of year), I branched out into other smells. Occasionally on my route there is the unpleasant odor from pet droppings left instead of picked up by their owners. There is also the frequent smell that is hard to explain but is that general miasma of plant matter as it decays along waterways. I came upon a freshly mowed grassy area in a park that wafted the cut grass scents. I started to behave much like Sissel Tolaas, sticking my nose up against all sorts of things. And I collected the few plants Idisplayed in the photo above (a pressing in progress - it's not quite dry yet) and to experiment with in the vaporization method. 

I wish I'd actually prepped the paper with colors and writing before pressing, but I did not. So I'll have to wait until the plants are completely dry to provide some more "flair" to the paper. The vaporization was interesting. And I'm intrigued by all the extra resources related to the chemical capturing and reproduction of scents. 

Week 4 - Physical Sensation

  

Walk Details

Date: October 14, 2020

Time: 1:15 pm

Weather: Sunny

Temperature: 92 degrees Fahrenheit

Air Quality Index: 44

Extra Notes: Red flag warning; Steady winds at 10 mph; Gusts up to 30 mph

The Creative Exercise

Create a short video (30-60 seconds) that recreates or explores a physical sensation from your walk

Results

Reflections

It was warm! The sun was definitely beating down and I could feel it on my skin - that sensation of heat that makes you think you'll be turning red and maybe even burn. But that warmth was also contrasted by the breeze. Sadly, as the wind was from the north is was not a colling breeze. In fact, it ended up drying out my skin and strengthening the sensations of heat on my skin. I found myself speeding up while under the direct light and slowing in the shaded areas of my walk. I also struggled to come up with ways to represent the physical sensations. The breeze was the easiest, but it did require patience to catch the visual element I wanted of the leaves moving. I actually picked up several acorns and a small branch from an oak tree that had recently dropped due to the wind intending to draw them, but this has been more than a litttle bit of a crazy week full with unexpected things for work and amongst those I know. Hopefully, I'll still find time to draw the oak leaves and acorns soon!

Week 3: Sound and Vision Bonus

 

Walk Details

Date: October 6, 2020

Time: 12:30 pm

Weather: Sunny

Temperature: 88 degrees Fahrenheit

Air Quality Index: 45

The Creative Exercise

Create a short (3 min or less) guided video tour of your walk that highlights some of your favorite aspects of your walk

Results

Week 3: Sound and Vision

Walk Details

Date: October 6, 2020

Time: 12:30 pm

Weather: Sunny

Temperature: 88 degrees Fahrenheit

Air Quality Index: 45

The Creative Exercise

Create a short video (3 min or less) that focuses more on sound than visuals

Create a short video (3 min or less) that focuses more on visuals than sound

Results

Sound-Focused Video

Visually-Focused Video

Reflections

I actually chose to make two videos to contrast them and learn more on how I process and focus on things on my walk. Interestingly, after I did my first video focused on sound, I found it much harder to focus on the visual aspects. So much so that as I continued walking and ended up on a patch of dried leaves and acorns I was so enamored with the sound that I ran back to the start of the area to video record and capture that sound while walking (see below if you want to hear it too). I think I also found it harder to focus back on the visual aspects because it can be hard to distinguish differences amongst all the vegetation and it felt less interesting than the sonic aspects of the walk. It is more complicated than I expected to seemlessly meld the two senses or equally focus on them both. I have always loved the interplay and connectedness of multimedia art installations. I've discovered it's much harder to do it intentionally and naturally. 

Week 2: Sounds

Walk Details

Date: September 30, 2020

Time: 10:30 am

Weather: Sunny, windy, smoky (outside)

Temperature: 90 degrees Fahrenheit (outside)

Air Quality Index: 133

The Creative Exercise

Using a sound recording device (your phone will work fine if you do not have a dedicated device) make at least 3 sound recordings from your walk. Each should be between 30-90 seconds in length. If you do not have sound editing software you can add a description of the sounds with your voice at the beginning or end of your recording. If you have sound editing software you can edit your sound clips together into a sound collage. You can add in your voice if you wish.

Results

mesulli · Cave Sounds

Reflections

The sounds above were not taken on my normal walking route (the one with bridges, stairs, and a lot of plants). The air quality levels were back into the unhealthy levels thi week, so I decided to take advantage of a work trip into a local mined cavern. It was an excellent place to capture some sounds. And convincing the seven other collegaues to be silent for periods of time was also entertaining to me as well. My colleagues thought one minute of silence felt like an eternity. And when we stopped to listen again later, this time with no flashlights on, it was even harder for everyone. The darkness and silence felt so absolute. I found it fascinating to listen to the clips later while not in the cave. Sounds that I thought would have been picked up were not or there was such a difference between what I heard in person and what the recording relayed. Also, I became most interested in the random clips I recorded with our footsteps or snippets of conversation. It was an incredible experience, and not just because I got to explore a cave. I really want to play with the clips more to remix and collage them and see what that entails. But first, I need to figure out how to better utilize my sound editing tools!

And if you want to learn more about the place the clips were recorded, check out this website.

Week 1 - Walk 2: Vision

 

Walk Details

Date: September 24, 2020

Time: 5:20 pm

Weather: Sunny

Temperature: 90 degrees Fahrenheit

Air Quality Index: 33

The Creative Exercise

Select one object from your walk to photograph - I especially encourage you to try this if photography is not your primary medium. Make 20 photos of the object.

Results

Reflection

I found myself looking at everything on my familiar path with new eyes. I kept asking what would be interesting enough to take twenty or so photos from different angles. I thought about what I like about my path (the four bridges). At first, I wasn't sure how I'd be able to find 20 photos that didn't look the same or that didn't get boring. But, I found the more I took, the more possibilities I discovered. What I especially loved (and was surprised at) is how as I took more and more photos, I was focusing more and more on smaller details, like the wood grain. Finding the beauty in the details reminded me how important it is to slow down and look beyond the immediate view. 

Week 1 - Walk 1: Observation

Walk Details

Date: September 22, 2020 (First Day of Fall)

Time: 7:12 am

Weather: Sunny

Temperature: 63 degrees Fahrenheit

Air Quality Index: 32

Observations

Noticing

I’m fortunate to live in an area surrounded by many paved bike paths and other trails. There are several routes I can take that result in somewhat of a loop before I backtrack my way home. During this morning’s walk I contemplated why I always choose one particular loop over several others. While it is true that the route I chose this morning is one of the closest and most defined loops, that’s now why I gravitate towards it. I gravitate towards this loop for the variety. This route has three wooden planked bridges, one set of eagle scout built stairs, a couple marsh areas, a nice hill to get the heart rate pumping, and it’s usually not too busy which is especially helpful in this new COVID-19 era. This morning just five people crossed my path, one of which was on a bicycle. 

Hearing

Because it was quiet and peaceful, I heard at least five different species of birds. I was reminded that I need to spend more time learning about the birds. I heard the creek water running and wondered why it was running. There had to have been several sprinkler systems providing runoff in the area to create the sound. I was startled out of the peaceful background sounds by a squirrel foraging in the trees. And finally as I crested the hill, I heard the cars driving along the major thoroughfare that runs parallel to my trail before it curves back into the green and crosses the final bridge in my looping path.

Seeing

All along my path I saw evidence of the changing season. The elderberry shrubs are drooping. The redbud trees look like their name with small red seed pods. The skeletonweed that was blooming so fervently a few weeks ago is drying up. The poison oak is turning from shiny green to dull russet. The wild grape and blackberry are beginning to go dormant. The chill in the morning air against my skin and the branches that have already shed their leaves are a stark reminder of the cold and dark that is to come. But until then, I’ll enjoy the golden light shortly before sunrise that continues to light mornings. For now.