Concept
The piece of memory I chose is about the early days of the epidemic outbreak in China. As a student, we were instructed to delay the commencement of the school year, resulting in students taking online classes from home for a duration of two months. During that time, although my family and I held concerns about the epidemic spreading, I experienced an overwhelming sense of tranquility and happiness.
Process
At the beginning of the soundscape, there is a low background sound of firewood burning, rendering a warm and cozy atmosphere.
The sound of a drawer being opened and a zipper unzipping not only pave the way for the following content of writing but also represent leading to a piece of memory.
Another concept I have in mind is to use the sound of my earrings to symbolize myself, which appears since the beginning of the soundscape. The intensity of the earring’s jingling and tapping noise would signify the extent of my movement. For example, a diminishing earring sound when I start writing indicates a gradual transition to a state of calm.
Additionally, the sounds of paper turning and pen writing were included in the soundscape, which sonifies the act of memorizing or writing a diary.
During that period, after finishing my daily academic tasks, I would watch two episodes of the Japanese anime series “Inuyasha.”(犬夜叉). Therefore, the sound of temple bell wind chimes appear along with the process of writing, showing that I gradually immerse myself in my own world with tranquility and peaceful feelings and the historical backdrop of Japan’s Warring States period, which is the setting for the “Inuyasha” story.
The memorizing process ends up with a sound of closing the drawer. Thus the earring sound appears again, where I added a reverb effect to. What’s more, the change in the earring sound shows the peaceful feeling that the memory has brought to me at the present moment.
For this project, I would like to evoke a sense of serenity, with the inclusion of wind bells, earrings, and other elements playing a dynamic role in constructing this atmosphere. One great advice I got was to add a signature sound at the end of the audio that represents “the end”, which made my soundscape project as complete and organized as if it was telling a story.