Process

Variations on a Poem with Grep

I.
September has been an empty m
Satchel in hand and bustling th
S
Rand
Punctuated by a n
Packed with y
I remember the m
Fl
Dev
And the industry
And the dead remains
And scattered papers.
A quarrel in August interrupted this

II.
your
remains
papers
of
normal
nod
mornings
and
an
August

III.
in
Flow of life
chel in hand and bus
ember has been an emp
h your papers
he dead remains of summer.
he indus
he mornings you came by,
he normal clu
imes s
inuous
ua

Original by Sachiko Clayton

Deep Listening Exercise: The High Line

The High Line, New York City
2:30 p.m. Friday, January 22

Winter Afternoon on the High Line (audio recording, 2:00)

Voices left side and right, traffic horns

A plane is flying overhead—look to see a helicopter

Beep, beep, backing up and some kind of machinery in the distance

This park, above the city, only rises above so much of its sound.

Bell ringing, car wash seemingly inactive

“But there is nothing . . . ” fragment of a conversation

The ringing of machinery—sounds like a jack hammer—a power washer?

Two voices rise and walk in front of me, the conversation trails off and I’m hearing more air.

Waves of transportation and a kind of frequency

It’s like a pulsing sound, fades out . . .

A truck picks it back up

Not as windy here

Brakes squeak/footsteps/the pitch of the carwash resumes

Car horn/voices/and I heard a bird just chirp

Airplane travels by, helicopter travels by, bell rings, horn sounds, pressure wash voices, stream of traffic along the Hudson River

Camera winding, engine revving

Deep Listening Exercise: Classroom

NYU Classroom, New York City
1:30 p.m. Thursday, January 21

Air moving through the ventilation system
• whistle
• hum of passage through ducts
• flow through grates

A soft hiss as from speakers not trying to make noise

Fabric moving against fabric, like corduroy

Voices outside
• conversation
• laughter
• walking away

An email message tone, specific pitch

Stranger Interaction: Q34

It’s happened before, on colder days than this one. Seldom, though, do I have an opportunity to confront the situation directly. On my way home from class I was waiting for a bus to take me from the station to my apartment. Standing by the shelter as a Q34 approached, I raised my hand to signal my intent only to watch the bus continue along Kissena Boulevard. The next stop was not far and a combination of brisk walking, passengers slowly disembarking, and a resolve born partly of frustration allowed me to address the driver face to face.

“Limited?” I ask, wanting to give him the benefit of the doubt.

“Local,” he replies.

“Is that not a stop back there?” I repeat the question he seems to be evading.

A pause.

“The bus is full,” the driver offers, looking out the window at his rearview mirror. I look back into the half empty cabin and my inclination to press him further fades.

Spring 2010

It’s been a few weeks now since last semester wrapped up and starting on the 19th of January we’ll be at it again. Here’s my schedule for Spring 2010—a full 18 credits on the academic playground.

Dataflow Audio Programming
Hans-Christoph Steiner

Reading and Writing Electronic Text
Adam Parrish

Sound and the City
Daniel Perlin

When Strangers Meet
Kio Stark

Electronic Project Development Studio
Eric Rosenthal