the hours facing by ACA Soundscape Field Station at CANA

ACA Soundscape Field Station presents 2020 artist-in-residence Dr. Nathan Wolek. These excerpts are from his sound art exhibition, Canaveral Soundscape, held at Atlantic Center for the Arts Harris House in December 2020.
These field recordings were collected at Canaveral National Seashore on top of the Turtle Mound archaeological site.

https://atlanticcenterforthearts.org/home/soundscape-field-station/

Artist Statement by Dr. Nathan Wolek

Canaveral National Seashore has a diverse soundscape. You have the wind and waves, which modulate between fierce and serene depending on the weather patterns. You have wildlife like birds, insects, and fish, which are the source of pitched calls both above the water and below. You have a much lower density of people than at a typical Florida beach, but the machines we use for transportation create long gestures across the water and sky. All of these things make Canaveral a good place to let your ears experience something different from contemporary life.

As a native of Central Florida, I've made countless trips to the beaches in Volusia and Brevard counties throughout my life. But my 2020 residency for the ACA Soundscape Field Station transformed the purpose of those "beach days". From May to November, I made 17 trips to the Canaveral National Seashore and recorded over 100 hours of audio. That material provided a deep reservoir for putting together the pieces of sound art presented in this exhibition.

Each piece provides a different path to spend time engaging with the Canaveral Soundscape. When visitors first enter, they are greeted by recordings of underwater soundscapes that occasionally crossfade to reveal the parallel world just above the surface. On the large computer display, visitors can visually navigate and playback sounds captured on the Castle Windy trail during Florida's coronavirus lockdown. Finally, the mural spanning three walls presents visitors with headphones, which transport them to platforms on the top of Turtle Mound and present a collage of contrasting sounds.

The works all take time to unfold, much like a natural soundscape. These long durations allow you to hear something new each time you give one of them a few minutes of your attention. Hopefully this exhibit will help you hear new things on your next visit to the Canaveral National Seashore and enhance your appreciation for its diverse soundscape.

Notes about the piece:
the hours facing...

From the bottom of Turtle Mound, the height of this Timucuan shell midden stands out from the surrounding landscape in Canaveral National Seashore. After a short trek to the top, the elevation built up over hundreds of years provides spectacular perspectives on that same landscape. It's possible to see and hear over great distances.

I wanted to document changes in the soundscape on Turtle Mound. During early November 2020, I made multiple trips to the top where I captured recordings from each of the three observation platforms. I worked out a schedule that would allow me to record the distinct hours from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. over the course of a week.

Little did I know how eventful that week would be. It started with Hurricane Eta's outer bands creating dramatic changes in weather. It ended with high-profile rocket launches bringing many new visitors to the park. And layered on top of these outside forces were the sounds of animals who call the park home and waves on the ocean shore from sunrise to sunset.

The mural in this installation presents three pairs of headphones that emerge from a map of the platforms. Each of the headphones in this gallery presents the soundscape from a specific platform on top of Turtle Mound. The source recordings in each pair of headphones were all made from the exact same position. The cuts between these source recordings highlight variations in the soundscape caused by weather conditions, animal activity, visitor activity, watercraft, aircraft, and spacecraft.

Contains tracks

• the hours facing west by ACA Soundscape Field Station at CANA
• the hours facing south by ACA Soundscape Field Station at CANA
• the hours facing north by ACA Soundscape Field Station at CANA