In the column “Listen with…”, Soundtrackcity interviews residents of De Pijp about the significance of sound in their lives. What sounds do they hear and what sounds do they find appropriate for their living environment? For this eighth episode, we speak with Manuel, who has been living on Van Ostadestraat for eleven years with his wife Els, daughter Leyla (9) and son Nikolaj (6).
Manuel mainly hears the silence after the pleasant, busy morning rush hour. ‘There are four schools in the neighbourhood and a car rental company. Between eight and nine in the morning, they create a lively bustle. After nine, it suddenly becomes quiet, even though we are in the middle of the city. I find that a particularly peaceful moment.’
The Ceintuurbaan feels like a dividing line. On the north side, the tourist crowds begin. When you cross it, you really notice the difference. There is much more chatter and buzz. Sometimes lost tourists end up in the coffee shop next to our house. When they smoke their joints on the bench in front of our door, you can hear their cheerful chatter.
‘In our courtyard garden, you hear surprisingly little, even though there are a lot of people living there. You can hear birds and there’s always someone renovating. When a baby is born, you can hear that too. It’s a lovely familiar sound.’
Daughter Leyla: “I learned a lot about birds from a book I was given. In the summer, I hear the great tit in the fig tree and sometimes the blue tit. In the big tree, I sometimes hear a blackbird, but I don’t think it sounds very nice. In spring and summer, I also hear the leaves rustling when the wind blows through the trees. And a while ago, a rat got stuck in the drainpipe. We heard it squeaking loudly all day long. Fortunately, we were able to rescue it.”
Last summer, the neighbourhood cats in the garden kept fighting with an aggressive tomcat. We heard them hissing loudly at each other. Sometimes the fight took place on the roof of our extension, and it sounded as if they were fighting inside.
‘Our neighbour’s son plays the violin. He started when he was six years old. We could hear him practising and getting better and better. Now he’s sixteen and plays very well. Recently, his little brother has also started playing an instrument: the piano. The sound he produces comes into our house through the chimney: it’s great fun!’
Listen with Manuel is part of the Listen with… section of Urban Sound Lab, where residents, sound artists and architects listen to the city together. Together, they explore how to create a better-sounding city and how this contributes to the personal well-being of city dwellers. You can find the other episodes here.
