Hogs Back Falls - July 19, 2000

Hogs Back Falls - July 19, 2000

I am now sitting in the quiet of my studio listening back to my recording of July 13. Sometimes I like to write while I am at the location I am recording. Other times, I like to listen when I am not distracted by the smell, sights, touches and tastes of the place. We hear differently, depending on the environment in which we are listening.

What I hear - sound of myself moving. When I walk very slow, mike cables don't clunk and my footsteps don't mask everything else. I am learning a whole new way of moving when I am walking and recording at the same time. To record a good soundwalk, one must be very still, slow down and approach it in a meditative state. You will not hear the nuances of a place unless you are open, receptive and truly listening. The process is everything - learning to slow down and be totally present in the moment is not easy to do at first, especially for me.

I am now listening to the sound of the falls from the west side of the gorge. The west side of the falls has been fortified with a cement wall, whereas the east side is all natural rock. There is an interesting contrast between the timbre of the falls when I am walking behind the cement wall and when I am not. Last year, I soundwalked this place with Hildegard Westerkamp, an amazing listener, composer and human being. She is the person who first woke up my ears. She explained to me that physical objects block high frequencies but not low ones (which is why you can hear the bass of your neighbour's stereo). Behind the wall, I can hear the roar, but not the hiss. Some interesting effects can be created here by moving the microphone from behind the wall.

I have also recorded the other side of the falls - the transitional space between the falls and the Canal. The falls exists within a larger soundscape - above the falls is the Rideau River. The river, at this point, splits into two parts - one water stream goes into the Rideau Canal. The other stream goes over the falls and continues down the Rideau River. Both the Canal and the River empty into the Ottawa River, eight kilometers downstream, at different points.

I am debating whether to include the locks and the canal in my piece. I am inclined to think I will - after all, if these falls didn't exist, there would be no need for the locks. I would also like to explore the symbolism of the falls - way back when Ottawa was established, the falls provided a formidable barrier to transportation and communications. Had there not been a way to work around them, this place we call Ottawa might not have happened.

The Canal sounds are also interesting in themselves. The locks are still hand-cranked. The ring of the chains which open the doors of the locks are the same as they were when the canal was built over 150 years ago. I like this link with the past - it contrasts with the all too prevalent sounds of 20th century industrial noise.

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