Public Art Park ’23. -Testing Grounds Square at Queen Victoria Market Melbourne.
Public Art Park 23 was a program of workshops and talks to provide support for a group of creative practitioners to develop work that engaged site in public space. It was run by Testing Grounds, an organisation that assists artist to develop work.
I discovered, during a sound walk Deep Listening exercise for the for the PAP ’23 participants, that there was a persistent tone at the centre of the market. This sound, coming from the market cool-rooms became the focus for my CDB based project.
Audio compilation of field recordings for Towards the Tonal Centre: A Journey Through Sound.
The slow panning of the panoramic photograph of deserted market on a non-trading day, focus’s the viewer’s hearing, towards their listening. Towards an imaging of the presence of people where sight offers little understanding of what is heard. In the context of public space, particularly a busy place like a market, the lingering time required of the practice quantum listening, is hard to achieve. This short, single slide show offers a passive, fleeting sense of what quantum listening can bring to the understanding of place.
This is an image of a performative sound walk. Out of sight of this photo is a portable speaker playing a sonic-scape, built using the sound of the Coolroom sitting in the symbolic centre of the market. I conceive it as the tonal centre of the CBD. This sound is like a drone. On my walk with the speaker, I moved through the market, seeking that tone, that pitch, trying to match it with my flute. Unexpectedly, even in the singing of traders, I found that pitch.
A trader shutting shop. This photo was taken on a field recording walk that a small edited section is included in the compilation audio slide show above.