Washington Park Sound Walks and Readings

 

This project's setting is at Washington Park in Chicago, IL USA. It was designed by American Landscape Architect Frederick Law Olmsted in the 1870's. I have captured the sound character of this place through field recordings. Along with the ecology, I have recorded activities and events at the park. My inspiration for this project is Sun Ra and his pamphlets he handed out while he was preaching in the park in the 1950's, along with other black speakers of diverse religious and political persuasions. Using the Radio Aproree application, I am presenting an audio palimpsest of Washington Park. I have recorded readings of Sun Ra's broadsheets taken from The wisdom of Sun-Ra: Sun Ra's polemical broadsheets and streetcorner leaflets, Ra Sun - John Corbett - WhiteWalls – 2006, on-site in several locations, recording of my walks including picnics, events like the African Fest, walks across the meadow, by the lagoon and sound interventions. Through the Radio Aporee application I am giving the local listeners a perspective on a space they experience everyday that they would not normally have, focusing on the park as a conduit for creative thought, cultural history, ecological preservation and recreation.