"A whisper is secret and privileged information. That is why we strain our ears to overhear it. It is a similar privilege to hear any delicate sound; most people never do.”
R. Murray Schafer - The Thinking Ear
Disengaging the noise of our thoughts, egos, society, etc. has been practiced across the world in numerous ways for at least as far back as records exist. Silence can be both soothing and aggravating, depending on your momentary, and deeper biological states. Facing a void can be uncomfortable, or even frightening if you aren’t prepared. Sometimes we aren’t ready for what is being communicated, but the universe whispers clues to those who cultivate a practice of listening.
Throughout the course of the year that I encountered this quote, I had to shed many habits and ways of thinking in my life in order to move on with my life (I openly refer to it as the worst year of my life so far). In the midst of everything, I got the privilege of conducting research in environmental sound recording, soundscape composition, sound-mapping, and to a degree, environmental noise level monitoring (which was funded by the Joyce and Ron Sakamoto Prize for Research and Development in Digital Audio Arts - you can listen to the compositions here). During this time I truly allowed myself to listen deeply and also revisit those recorded moments of deep listening. Being present and engaged in these breathtaking and uncomfortable moments is probably a big part of how I made it through that year. It brought me into the embrace of truths that can sometimes only be appreciated in surrendering to them. There aren’t words to fully express truths, but ways of pointing towards them. It’s the frequency and angle of gesture that makes something truly compelling and transcendent to me.
The ring of peach and azure that frames our daily perception hangs low in the sky and peaks from behind the quaint condominiums of the subarctic suburb,
Coated with gold and red, the deciduous behemoths tower in static camaraderie,
The crisp autumn air seeps in through the upstairs window and whispers solemn melodies before sinking into the post-summer warmth of the floor in my bedroom.
Seasonal cycles unearth many emotions in me. The felt passage of a full year brings with it many memories, expectations, and newfound nuances to the world. Experiencing the same thing from a new vantage point fills me with a sense of nostalgia and often yearning. It brushes me against thoughts of mortality and reveals the rub between the daydream visions of life and my literal whereabouts. Words like the ones above often come to me in moments of clarity and hope after a lengthy struggle with my thoughts. It feels like standing at the cusp of a new life looking forward. There have been times where it felt like everything I was doing began to act in opposition of my goals and desires. No matter the energy, focus, or time I channeled toward something, the result fell short. I’ve found over the years that yielding to the forces of change and the flow of life is sometimes the only way to find the path again. It’s time like these I finally allow the quietude of life to set in and for answers to emerge. (Some call it wu wei).
Regardless, Autumn is very confronting for a number of larger societal reasons, as well as physical/psychological ones. For many it brings a time of reflection and introspection. I think it is crucial to the arc or Sojourns for the same reasons that I feel Autumn is crucial to the cycles of nature and a balanced headspace. It was from these seasonal moments of realization through listening, quiet reflection, and yielding to flow like this that Whispers emerged.
Listen to the track here.
If you enjoy the track, I highly recommend listening to the full album as well. Find it here.