A world tour of bedrooms

[imomus]

The Window Standpoint Series is one of those very simple ideas that, when made into a series with a standard format, becomes curiously intriguing. A bit like David Crawford's Stop Motion Studies, Window Standpoint makes watching not-much-at-all feel like something almost-too-much.

Various people from various places in the world have taken a 600 pixel-wide photograph of the view from their window, and supplied a four minute mp3 of the ambient sound at the place where the photo was taken. You look at the photo while listening to the sound. That's it! Yet it's fascinating, and as you click through the offerings (anyone can contribute) you can imagine you're on a very intimate, domestic and relaxing world tour. A world tour of bedrooms! (Art gossip: one of the pieces here is taken in the bedroom of an ex-lover of mine, but I'm not going to say which one. I'll give you a clue, though: it isn't Scanner.)



Since they don't have a Berlin one, I thought I'd make my own version here. This is the view from my living room window at 10.30 this morning. I was slightly disappointed a tram didn't go past during the four minutes I captured audio, because that's a very characteristic sound of this street. Oh, and since LiveJournal prohibits the embedding of audio files, you'll have to open the mp3 below in a new window, then throw it into the background so that you can listen to it while gazing at the autumnal scene through my window. (By the way, the clatter towards the end of the recording is my rabbit Baker knocking something over. That's his straw you can see on the balcony.)

Ambience (4.3 mb stereo 160kbps mp3 file, 4 mins)

Comments

nice idea..

[svenskasfinx.livejournal.com]

too bad I have computer problems... my windows media player which was replacing my real player for the past few months has been utterly useless.. and sadly I have alot of listening to catch up on..but the visual has its own sound without me having to listen.. when I finally do get it fixed, I wonder if it will match up to my expectations?

[imomus.livejournal.com]

Ah, I didn't realise this project is organised by Davide Balula, who runs with the Shobus crew (http://shobus.blogspot.com/)! I just submitted mine, and got an e-mail from him, so it looks like it will be up on the official Window site soon.

[(Anonymous)]

yes, the windows standpoint series is one of his many artistical projects, all embedded in 'l'appareil'. check www.lappareil.com for further details...
(odot)

[(Anonymous)]

It is interesting but it is also a little awkward at first to try and imagine the still photograph makind the um... moving sound. Although sometimes the two do seem to match up, which is a peculiar feeling for a second.

[(Anonymous)]

As I seem to remember, that's exactly what Germany sounds like.

[w-e-quimby.livejournal.com]

best website evarr

[tassellrealm.livejournal.com]

It's nice to have two of them running simultaneously.

Brussels and Ecuador supply 'an interesting third'.

[w-e-quimby.livejournal.com]

Yummm! Thanks!

[imomus.livejournal.com]

Schizophonia!

[w-e-quimby.livejournal.com]

clapclap! yay for new wordsss

Ambience As Nutritional Necessity

[tassellrealm.livejournal.com]

Whilst looking at the Window Standpoint site, I was struck by the obvious: The reason I go on holiday is to imbibe ambience as nutritional necessity. I infuse in strange supermarkets, bask in foreign chemists, and I make lists:

Ants
Apples
Apricot Tree
Arrogants
AVIN Petrol Station
Baker Boy
Bamboo Bar
B. B. Beach
Blue Ocean Restaurant
Boss Classic Ice Cream
Calamari
Caffe Greco
Coach Radio
Corner of Death
Cousin D'Olivier
Cigarette Kiosk
Crazy Bird
Crazy Paving
Cockerel
Donny Pig-Dog
Dorian
Epirus
Festival
Firefly Alley
First-Aid Street
Flip-Flops
Foxes
Gaston
George Chakiris Hair-Do
General Toyrist Office
German Restaurant
German Horse-Taunter
Germans
Goat Island
Goats
Granny Chair
Greek Sausage
Greek Radio
Gyros
Horse
Hotel Montenegro
Hotel Mourtemeno
Italian Restaurant
Illy Coffee
Jesus With A Hard-On
King Herod's Castle
Krispies
Lacta
Lamb
Lavazza Crema e Gusto
Lays
Lemon Tree
Li-Lo
Lizards
Mary
Megapopolis
Megalamanios
Mosquitoes
Neilsons
Old Man
Olive Oil
Olivier
Olympic
Onion Restaurant
Ouzo
Parga
Parrot
Peter Stuyvesant
Police Station
Pussy Beach
Sarong
School
Scooter
Scotsmen
Shrine
Souvlaki
Snake
Spikey Stones
Spikes
Stavro
Steak House
Sunset
Supermarket
Sun Tan Potion
Swallows
Tarmacadam
Taverna
Tortoise
Town Beach
Unfinished Building
Unfinished Fountain
Wegetables
Zavia Beach

Audiophagia:

[w-e-quimby.livejournal.com]

taking in the outside world through the skin, the mouth, the orificies, imbibing, chewing, digesting, pooping, releasing, inhaling, exhaling, producing, creating, destroying, living, dying, sound, sight all at once voluntarily and involuntarily

Re: Audiophagia:

[nicepimmelkarl.livejournal.com]

a hundred years of psychoanalysis. freud snuffed in on his victims. it didn't stop his off-springs being plagued by nasal warts.

Re: Ambience As Nutritional Necessity

[jina---.livejournal.com]

what's a crazy bird????

[nicepimmelkarl.livejournal.com]

re rob rambo (da spy). it ain't easy 2 capture feelin's in pictures. he might feel sumfink, but his pic is bethnal green bollocks. fair enough sun cums out weird and nice...but....what's the point?

[nicepimmelkarl.livejournal.com]

can i borrow a feelin'?

[imomus.livejournal.com]

"Madam, I do apologize for this unseemly scene, it seems my own id has escaped from its cage. Back, Hyde!, back! It's harmless, I do assure you. But perhaps, just to be safe, I should accompany you home? Certainly, no trouble at all. I'm a doctor, you know. Dr Jeckyll, pleased to meet you!"

[nicepimmelkarl.livejournal.com]

it's my hobby now, just accept it... you are my stress ball.

[cap-scaleman.livejournal.com]

Your hobby isn't that unusual.

[cityramica.livejournal.com]

nice rabbit you have there.
actually this inspired me to fully open my blinds for the first time in weeks [as evidenced by my last flickr photo [of my blinds]]. my window looks across a small courtyard and directly into 3 or 4 sets of neighbor's bedroom and living room windows, and when i look out i find myself making accidental eye contact quite frequently. they seem like nice enough people but it is a bit awkward. i think i will buy some batteries and make a recording tonight. either that or buy some tin cans and hook up a kiddy telephone.

[nicepimmelkarl.livejournal.com]

any neighbor sex activities going on?

Glitchslaptko Vs Nicepimmelkarl

[dzima.livejournal.com]

Karl, you have a Mixi invitation going your way right now. We need you there as well.

[cityramica.livejournal.com]

yup.

[ultrakurtzwelle.livejournal.com]

That's such a nice picture. I can smell berlin from here.

[cap-scaleman.livejournal.com]

Nice atmosphere. (I and no copyright even, hehehe, possibilities. Hrm.)

I like the chair. It gets a bit of a cold enviroment with the balcony(is it made out of concrete?) but still that straw and sunshine gives it a very warming touch. Like if you really want to sit there all day long staring down at all the people walking around.

[bikerbar.livejournal.com]

Baker made me jump!

I went around this morning in Prague recording on my shoddy minidisc .. sounds quite similar here. The cars are like waves on the sea, and squeaking door slams and construction hammering echo down the side streets .. I'm wanting to chop it up and make some ambient beats, must find a way to reduce some of the hiss and pop

Aren't we having a marvelous autumn!?
Babi Leto (Indian Summer) - gotta love it
the seasons in Central Europe are nicely distinct

[boygirlparty.livejournal.com]

how is it that i'm only now finding this/you?

[imomus.livejournal.com]

I don't know, but welcome!

AFRIRAMPO

[(Anonymous)]

Momus have you listened to Afrirampo yet? two amazingly talented and amazingly cut girls from japan that make great noise. and pika is so perfect on a drum kit.

http://www.afrirampo.com/

PEACE
tammy