Brief Reflection of the Soundwalk
On Saturday morning, August 8, a group of eight people joined me for a soundwalk I led on behalf of the Midwest Society for Acoustic Ecology (MSAE) and the Forest Preserve District of Cook County. Titled “Trailside Resonance: Listening to Nature,” the walk was my attempt to bridge that implied, conceptual “nature-culture” divide — drawing attention physically through handheld acoustic listening devices, the 3D-printed “Other Ears,” made by my colleague and fellow MSAE board member from Madison, Hanbing Liang.
I briefly described some of the intentions behind soundwalking, terminology from the World Soundscape Project, and my own history within that lineage. What followed was a genuinely enjoyable experience with an engaged group of adults, who were as ready to share what they’d learned as they were to listen to each other. Their openness made it easy to talk at length, get excited, and arrive together at a shared appreciation for the value of listening — while also gauging how place differs, and the challenges that difference presents, in this special environment at Thatcher Woods and the Trailside Museum of Natural History in River Forest, Illinois. Walking through wooded floodplain of the Des Plaines River we encountered some varieties birds — mainly Blue Jays. There were many fallen trees, but not an abundance of singing insects or mosquitoes.
