Responder:
A self-inflicted environment
A work in progress.Site-specific soundwalk in Palo Alto at Bayshore between Hawk & Egret Pond
Highway 101 is behind us .8 mile walk, 15 minute minimum duration
Si
How we respond to a place is influenced by our interaction with it. For example, is the environment perceived as pleasant or distracting, are we alone in the space or is it shared with others (can someone see/hear me), how do we move through the space? In effect, our response to a setting is often brought about through action, projection, rejection, and fabrication, creating the place we experience. This project refers to such a place as a self-inflicted environment. Responder is a site-specific sound work designed for a mapped area of the Palo Alto Bayshore Preserve. Participants are guided on a walk along a T-shaped pathway adjacent to Highway 101 and between Egret and Hawk Lake. The footpath is lined with reeds and has a rare open and low horizon. Highway 101 creates a distinct sound wall between the synthetic natural environment and intersecting, human-made line-of-noise produced from oscillating traffic patterns. Participants are led along the footpath to experience a homogenization of the artist’s self-inflicted environment simultaneously with their own.
©2023 Cathleen Grado