Derive

I’ve selected Debord, Guy. "Theory of the Derive." I found many of the concepts covered in this article highly fascinating. I’ve always been an extremely curious and spontaneous; this article discusses the exploration of environments and the highly spontaneous and undetermined movements through which to do so. In this way, I was able to relate my own fascination with exploring the “new” and “unknown” through the theory and practices of the Derive.
The main points of this article stress that most people experience the environment in which they live in a very confined and limited way; we travel on a predetermined path from point A to B and repeat these paths daily. The Derive on the other hand wants people to break free from their inhibitions and routines in order to experience their environments in an entirely different way. The Derive invites people to immerse themselves in many different environments by simply wondering through them with no intended purpose or path. The idea is that one will find themselves entering various realms and uncovering hidden treasures they might have otherwise overlooked. Although the Derive stresses stripping yourself of preconceptions, desires, and borders, it is almost impossible for one to occur in its pure form. People are generally consciously or unconsciously led by their own subjectivity. Practices such as the “possible rendezvous” brings a participant into a new environment stripped of the obligations of an ordinary rendezvous. Thus, the participant is forced into a new environment non subjectively and is left to deeply observe his surroundings.
The practices of the Derive relate to concepts of sound walks and Drifts. By immersing myself in new environments, I am able to collect new and exciting sound material. Also, the ideas in this article emphasize the appreciation of deep observation of an environment. By applying these concepts to my work in the field, I’m able to appreciate seemingly insignificant sounds I might otherwise have overlooked. In freeing myself from the everyday routine, I am able to collect entirely unique material.

Taking a Walk With Sound

A sound walk is more than just attentive listening, it's about looking at the world around you in a new light; about making hearing instead of sight your primary source of perception. When observing your surroundings in this way, you may find items ordinarily overlooked.

Listed below are few notable findings from this sound walk:

I was able to find a relatively peaceful location in Downer woods where i could fully listen to my surroundings.
As far as movement is concerned, it is impossible to move without making any noise at some level. Theoretically all objects are in constant motion of some level of another and it is impossible to move without producing sound anywhere except in a perfect vacuum.
I started by first plugging my ears with my eyes open, then later unplugging them and closing my eyes in order to get a full appreciation for every sound. I found i was able to create a more vivid and rich environment by listening to the sounds then I could by simply observing without any sound. I was also to able to pinpoint very soft sounds I wouldn't have noticed.
The sounds I heard were as follows:

Sitting

• Tires squealing on the pavement
• sticks crackling
• insects buzzing around me
• birds chirping intermittently
• jets screaming overhead
• cars whir by softly
• car engines roaring in the distance
• leaves rustling about me
• piano notes piercing the nearby air
• percussive thuds in the distance
• pulsing weed-wacker engine
• car horn blaring
• inhale and exhale
• stomach grumbling

Walking

• Feet clapping against the ground
• gravel crumbling beneath feet
• twigs snapping
• pebbles skipping across wood
• fabric rubbing against itself
• leaves brushing against people
• balls bouncing against pavement
• shoes sqeeking
• rattling of chain link fence
• yelps of people
• snap of door mechanism
• turnstile cranking
• whir and clink of fan
• elevator's electronic chime
  

I was able to place most sounds either by orienting them or logically placing them at known landmarks (I.E. sqeeking shoes at tennis and basketball courts), however there were a few sounds I couldn't place. In this case I would either guess or include them in a general white noise category.
I was lucky enough to hear a generous mix of mechanical, natural, and human noises.
As much of a burden white noise is, i always find it incredibly fascinating to pick sounds out and follow them; I was able to do plenty of this on today's walk.
The closest sounds i heard were the ones i was producing, these sounds are probably the most overlooked. The most distant sound was surprisingly the loudest; the jet engine.
The most prevalent wind effect I was able to hear, were the leaves rustling in the wind.
At certain times during the walking section I was able to intervene in the urban landscape by knocking on a chain link fence or kicking pebbles along the path.
After my initial experience with sound walking, I feel that I;m beginning to look at sounds as a primary source of observing an environment and not just a secondary additional sense.
I can use this new found importance of sound in my media endeavors by paying closer attention to the importance of subtleties and adding dramatic sounds to my work.