Yesterday my Ipod ran out of batteries as I left SUB on my way to 109th Street. Needless to say, I was bummed about being cut off in the middle of my internal jam session, but I soon began to notice the noises around me. Of course, I still left my headphones in because I don't like talking to strangers, but in listening to the noises of the city around me, I reflected on how they differed from the ones from other cities we had heard earlier that day in class. To be honest, I didn't find it that different. One could argue that in cities like Montreal, one hears people speaking in French, but as I walked I heard people speaking in Chinese and Punjabi, only having traversed about 4 city blocks. I found the sound maps we listened to in class very interesting and dynamic, but I'm not entirely sure that it reflects the individual identity of the city that is being recorded. Especially in urban environments; many of the noises we encounter everyday, like sirens, sidewalk chatter, and trucks, are actually remarkably universal.
When we first looked at Hitotoki, I went into my standard "Twitter makes me grumpy" mood. While I agree with what was said about Twitter being a useful tool for social movements and organization, I think it is aiding in the destruction of the concept of the personal, and people carry this behavior over into other parts of their lives. Anyways, (see, Twitter makes me grumpy) I was put off Hitotoki from the outset by their formatting, but once we examined the classic version, I think we all discovered something that was beautiful and profound. Those stories are specifically unique to the location and environment the writer is placed in. Some of the experiences, such as witnessing the two boys kiss, may be more universal, in that it could happen in multiple places, but that one experience is made unique by the environment. Hitotoki was my favorite map, because each entry works to distinguish it's home city and gives the reader a greater sense of the city.
(P.S. Scratch and Sniff maps. Think about it.)
The other day (okay, year) I was riding on the LRT and heard about 5 or 6 different languages. Interestingly, the number of languages increased as we left the university and headed north. I loved it. Made Edmonton feel bigger.
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