How do we hear a place? Can we explore a town’s character through its ecology of sound? When a low wind rumbles through the woods or a big rig rattles by, how do these sounds tell us where we are and what a place has been? When we hear a neighbor’s laughter or the cadences of conversation on the street, do we notice these as marks of history or do we let them disappear into time? Every place expresses a distinct personality and history through sound. By recording and mixing the sounds of Willits, California – samples taken from nature, industry, and human interaction – artist Lynea Diaz Hagan is working with the local community to build an aural portrait of the town.
To listen to the piece, click here.
