While walking through a public space, which for me was Downtown Tucson, I chose to create a personal “cocoon” using my earbuds, turning on the noise-canceling feature, and playing music. Music felt like a natural choice for my “cocoon” because I already listen to it regularly, though I typically avoid wearing earbuds while walking. As someone who’s prone to anxiety, I usually prefer to stay alert of my surroundings and being able to hear the sounds around makes me feel safer. Besides exploring how cocooning with music would affect my walking experience, I also wanted to use this assignment to sharpen my visual awareness.
I began my walk down E. Congress St., listening to music that I know and love, genres like alternative, pop-punk, and rock. As I walked and took photos, I noticed myself gravitating toward capturing the sunlight and how it highlighted buildings and objects around emphasizing a warm tone. Most of my photos focused on natural leading lines rather than symmetry, which goes against my usual approach in photography projects. The overall experience felt light and carefree because I was simply enjoying the moment, in my own little world, taking photos, I liked without overanalyzing whether they were technically good.
After a while, I switched to music I don’t typically enjoy like certain types of heavy metal, country, and overly auto-tuned songs. The shift in music felt harsh compared to the emotional, upbeat, or spunky songs I started with, the new mix felt chaotic and uncomfortable. It made it harder to focus on the visual aspects that I usually enjoy and find interesting. To reflect this discomfort, I decided to take photos that were more symmetrical, cooler in tone, and muted.
Eventually, I removed my earbuds and put them and my phone in my pocket. The transition from having sound right in my ears to suddenly hearing the surrounding noise of the city was strange. Without music, I felt more grounded in the present and I started to notice and focus more on the people around me, whether they were talking or entering and exiting shops. I occasionally tried making eye contact or exchanging a quick smile. Compared to being cocooned, this part of the experience felt more vulnerable and slightly awkward, but also more connected.
Overall, the experience was interesting. I see both the pros and cons of creating a sensory barrier versus fully engaging with the world around me. It seems that each approach can feel both liberating and uncomfortable in its own way.
The description of your walk 4 provided great details that would have allowed me to visualize what you experienced even without the pictures. I could relate to how your walk was more carefree and light when you were listening to music you like. I had a similar experience when i listened to the music i liked. It’s interesting how much more we experience our environments when we are not “cocooned” and paying more attention to our surroundings.
ReplyDeleteHello Aaliyah, I really enjoyed hearing about both your cocooned vs engaged walk. I also felt that listening to music I enjoyed made everything around me much more vibrant, and when listening to music I disliked, it was more muted. I also agree with the engaged part where you were more in the present and there in the moment and more a part of the community than more isolated from everyone. Although I feel like you could probably explore more of the engaged part if you can. It just feels like your walk was more about the cocooned part than the engaged part of the walk. Other than that, great work!
ReplyDeleteHey Aaliyah,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this post. I did the same concept and went in with this using the power of music, I totally agree with you on how much it affects the mood and everything we see. I feel like you did an amazing job at painting it how to how you truly felt, and the visuals are beautiful.