Devin Alvarez

Audio Walk Summary

Janet Cardiff’s audio walk was one of the most interestingly sound engineered pieces to have gone through my headphones in the last year. The 20 minute or so narrative directs you through Central Park at a relaxed pace, often directing your attention to things around you that are easy to not notice. I often wonder how much of the world I should be technically experiencing but completely have no memory of, things in peripheral sight and just at the edge of my audible experience for example. In a place like central park I am very self conscious that this experience is happening a little more than usual. The park is so heavily condensed in foliage, foot traffic, animal ecosystems, and urban activity that I cannot possibly register, at resting heart rate, all that is around me. Janet Cardiff’s narration style slowed my heart rate and directed my attention to the smaller more intimate spaces around me. I can only compare this experience directly to a choreographed dance, and through the intimacy I felt with these spaces around me there was a romance between the park and myself. There was one moment in particular, about two thirds of the way into the park trail that directed me to sit on a bench and enjoy looking to the trees while a guitar solo played. Aside from the fact that guitar solos are timeless and impossible to not enjoy, the act of sharing this music felt like a friendly gesture, as if someone had gifted me a new record or mix tape. It was the highlight of the experience, I would enjoy going on more walks similar to this.