Text

Another spot I pass by often on my commute.

I saw the crane swinging and could hear some clanking sounds, so I stopped here and set up on this nearby bench. This is a very busy commuting way for walkers, cyclists, scooters, and cars. I felt very self-conscious, and decided to try to minimize attention. So I set the recorder on a bench nearby and aimed the mics through a gap between two slats on the bench’s back.

As is usually the case with my recordings made in the city, there is a constant low roar of background sound coming from wind and vehicles. In the future I may experiment with filtering out some of the low frequencies in the recording, but for now I’m happy to leave that in. The city is loud, too loud. Even a relatively quiet city such as this one. I often dream about living Somewhere rural again, Somewhere deep in the woods perhaps, but I know that even in such places as those things are not quiet. Airplanes, bullfrogs, crickets and cicadas, birds, vehicles, wind wind wind.

There are some fun and interesting moments of commuters whizzing by across the stereo field. One such moment happens at around 2:47.

What is being built is a new primary school. On the site used to be a garda station. Seems like a net win. ZenDesk, one of many multi-national tech corporations here i mBaile Átha Cliath, has an office right next door. Behind the recorder is An Chanáil Mhór, the Grand Canal, built in the 18th century to move people and goods across the island from An tSionainn (the river Shannon) to the east. One time while speaking with my neighbour the subject of the canal came up and he said, as a quick aside and not really related to the main point he was making, “I wonder how many of us broke our backs digging that for the English?”

That is something I think about every time I travel along the canal. And it’s not far from my mind watching so many structures torn down, and new ones built up. And it’s not far from my mind as I pass by the multi-national tech corp offices (LinkedIn, Amazon, TikTok, Sky, Huawei, WeWork are some of the ones I pass) which love to be by the canal, too.

On the other side of an chanáil is a busy road and, beyond that, some residences with lots of people. Lots of birds live around here, too: cearca uisce (moorhens), ealaí balbha (mute swans), and corra (herons) are my favourites.

Sound

Images

To the left, the primary school being built. In the center, a crane. To the right, an office building used by one of the multi-national tech corporations.

Figure 1: To the left, the primary school being built. In the center, a crane. To the right, an office building used by one of the multi-national tech corporations.

The recorder, wearing its fuzzy hat, set down on a bench. The mics (under the hat) are between the slats of the back of the bench, towards the building site. There is a busy cycle lane between the bench and the site.

Figure 2: The recorder, wearing its fuzzy hat, set down on a bench. The mics (under the hat) are between the slats of the back of the bench, towards the building site. There is a busy cycle lane between the bench and the site.

Details

Location
Lána Ardán Fhearchair, Baile Átha Cliath 2
Date
<2024-01-05 Fri>
Time
16:05-16:16
Duration
11'11"
Recorder
Sony PCM-M10
Microphones
Built-in mics on the recorder
Channels
2, Stereo
Other notes
Fuzzy windshield over the recorder. Hear my nose sniffling occasionally (it was cold).