Chris Watson Week pt. 04

Guided by Sound

As a natural sound recordist Chris Watson has walked the breathed of the planet to capture the sounds that others only imagine:

Geosonics is a collaboration between Chris Watson and Soniccouture.

However Chris Watson has also spent time on a more local concern and engaged with the RSPB and the BBC in documenting the sounds of birds in the UK. For the whole of October he presented BBC 4’s Tweet of the Day (see the list of episodes in the link).

Guided by sound: Recording the Bearded Tit for Tweet of the Day

Here’s more on how he records natural sounds, this time for the London Wild Bird Watch

Chris Watson Week pt. 03

The Station

[Image: BBC]

The Station, broadcasted on Wednesday 09 October 2013, is a soundscape composition that captures the psyche of a place by way of it’s acoustic character and history.Only 24 hours in Newcastle Station, as Chris explores, is full of soundmarks that are recognised by the people who work in and use the station on a regular basis.

It is a great piece and includes narration from Chris Watson. Not only is this a good example of acoustic ecology it is also a fantastic narrative piece that cinematically represents a journey and explorations. Technology and doing allow us to make these.

“The sound recordist Chris Watson, regularly travels to and from this station and became fascinated by the sounds and acoustics of the building, so when he was granted permission to record inside, he leapt at the chance, visiting at various times during both day and night over several months, to capture the sounds within; from the quiet crackle of the overhead wires on a misty dawn morning to the terrifying roar and clamour of footballs fans and police dogs when Newcastle were playing at home to Sunderland, and the chanting voices and shouts of the fans overwhelmed even the sounds of the trains.”

More tomorrow!