In the column “Listen with…” Soundtrackcity interviews residents from De Pijp about the meaning of sound in their lives. What sounds do they hear and what sounds do they find appropriate in their living environment? For this fourth episode, we speak with Christina. She pays particular attention to the rhythm of the sounds around her.
Playing table tennis with the dogs
Three to five times a week we walk with our dogs from our house near the Lidl to the Sarphatipark to play table tennis. We started it a few years ago when my friend retired. On the way out you often only hear traffic noise. On the way back you also hear people on the road or busy with something. For example, the day before yesterday when the weather was so nice I suddenly heard “bubububu. That sounds like a Harley Davidson I immediately thought. That sound took me back years when I was fourteen and had a crush on a boy with a Harley. That’s what I love about sounds is that they bring back memories. Usually things you haven’t thought about for ages.
When we come to the park in the morning, it is often very quiet. You hear a lot of birds then. Also the birds that are further away in the park. Then the park seems very big. As more people come, you only hear the sounds directly around you and it seems like the place where you are is getting smaller and smaller. By the way, you don’t hear the ticking of the table tennis after a while when you are completely immersed in the game. You do notice when the ticking suddenly stops.
Different kinds of barking
Sometimes a lot of dogs come at once to the dog field next to the ping pong tables. Then suddenly it is very crowded and there is a lot of barking. There are many different kinds of barking. Some dogs enter the park and bark very briefly. Then they just want to let people know they are there. Some bark a lot so everyone actually notices them.
Sometimes when we walk home from the park a crow flies behind us and then you hear ‘branch’ on a car next to you. Then that crow has landed there because he wants a chunk. He does that until he has my attention and gets a piece of food. I really like that!
Listen with Christina is part of the Luister met… of Urban Sound Lab, where local residents, sound artists, and architects listen to the city together. Together, they explore how to achieve a better-sounding city and how that contributes to the personal well-being of city dwellers. Find the other episodes here.
