A nature soundscape from our cat in Oakland, CA
Christie Goshe
CreativeMornings Pittsburgh is putting together a little surprise for their next virtual event by gathering soundscapes from around the world to explore the global theme of nature.
Their prompt to “take us to a favorite spot and capture a soundscape of what nature sounds like to you” first led me to my apartment’s deck where the din of 5pm city life floated through the air on an uncharacteristically hot day: kids playing on their patio in a neighboring building, a small pleasure craft buzzing overhead, even the sound of clanking silverware and dishes could be heard since every window and nearly every door has been opened to try and get some relief indoors from the afternoon heat.
I spent those 5 minutes meditating with my headphones on, concentration tuned. Feeling the anticipation, surprise, and joy of each sound out in the world and then instantaneously in my headphones through the binaural mic on my Zoom H6.
The final piece, however, is not from outside of my apartment. Rather, I turned my mic to the nature inside my apartment: the cat. 5pm is dinnertime, and he knows it. These 5 minutes were wildly entertaining as I strained my arms to follow him as quietly as I could.
Katamari the cat at 5pm (dinnertime) on a 90 degree day in Oakland, California. Meowing, purring, face-rubbing on mic, corners, and shoes; lip-smacking, ambient apartment life/city sounds, fans running, birds chirping, sticky feet on vinyl floors, train horns in the distance, and light typing sounds.
Hope this leaves you inspired to take 5 minutes today to listen to the nature that is nearest to you.