Sound and Music | Oxford

These small writings were written over the course of a cold and still day in November 2010. I had only been living in Oxford for two months and took the opportunity to listen for spaces of an unusual auditory slant. Many of the entries seek to find areas in Oxford that are partially devoid of the typical sounds one would expect to hear in a busy City. I find this can be an intriguing way of actively listening out for quietude, remaining aware that whilst I may often hear spaces in this way, their stillness is something that is commonly taken for granted.


Please click here: Sound and Music to read about my auditory perspective of Oxford. There are some wonderful writings on the site, especially Olivia Block's Chicago & Nadine Byrne's Stockholm.

Dropping Objects.

I've been still more often as of late. Sat. Listening. My head is still but my ears are moving. Listening to the tales outside my window, On the first floor, just to the right of the window, sat on a chair that is supported by a red cushion, surrounded by Sparrows. I cannot help but think that I am hearing how I want to be hearing. How, if I heard the exact same sequence of events post or prior, I would hear it al so differently. I think, if that were so, if I had heard it differently, arriving at this conclusion thorough yet further differentiation, then I would have not have observed this deduction and would not be writing any such thing. Perhaps I would.

The Severn Way - Y Drenewydd | Y Trallwng

"Is it impious to weigh Goose music and art on the same scales?" - Aldo Leopold.


Losing Swans and Signets with Welsh Cakes. Pondweed at the Locks.
A field full of Rams. A one centimetre long Frog.
Sediment on the surface of the canal emulating a Silver Birch.
Scum on the water interpreting an unseen topography.
Large crops of Moss under the surface of the water.
Roots in the water like Mandrake. Chickens cleaning themselves in ash.
Two pygmy Horses vying for attention as a Llama idly clips the grass.
A completely silly Donkey. Displays of Sheep dominance.
Following a Grouse for some miles.
The trumpets of many a flying Canada Goose, over two hundred.