Michiel Huijsman

Walking without headphones

A soundwalk along river the Vecht

13 jun 2011

Monday, June 13th Soundtrackcity organizes something new: a soundwalk along river the Vecht. We will walk a beautiful route along the river and listen attentively to the sounds that make up the soundscape.

After the soundwalk we will talk about what we have heard and experienced. What were beautiful sounds? What sounds were annoying? What do the sounds stand for? Which sounds are characteristic to the route?

Please note that the number of participants is limited, so register in time.

Vergroot

Weesp Uitermeer - Michiel Huijsman

“A soundwalk is any excursion whose main purpose
is listening to the environment.”
Hildegard Westerkamp from her article “Soundwalking”

What we do

We walk in silence in a small group from the city of Weesp to Uitermeer. The walk takes about 60 minutes. In Uitermeer we take a short stop and we will talk about what we have heard in the last hour. We then walk back to Weesp. On the way back we will place the sounds we heard on a map.

Purpose of the walk is to consciously listen to the sounds around us and to experience howe the soundscape varies from place to place. Maybe we can compose together a sound profile of the route we have traveled.

Stelling van Amsterdam

Soundtrack City organized this walk as part of a new cultural festival Op de Bres, which takes place at the Stelling van Amsterdam. The Stelling van Amsterdam is an old line of defense forming a circle around Amsterdam. The Stelling is built between 1880 and 1940 and is a monument on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The idea behind the Stelling is an example of Dutch hydraulic engineering. With an ingenious system the land could be inundated in a moment, so the enemy could be kept at a distance. The Stelling has never been at war, but until 1963 a law was in place, the so called “Stellingwet”, which ensured that the Dutch landscape in this area has remained relatively open.

Reservations and more info

We walk with up to 15 people. Registration is obligatory.
RSVP via info@soundtrackcity.nl
If your booking was successful you will receive detailed instructions on starting location, accessibility and the program.
Date and Time: Monday, June 13th, 14:00 – 16:30