The Sounds of the Jewellery Quarter
As I was walking around the Jewellery Quarter on this cloudy and chilly Sunday afternoon, I decided to take my phone out and simply record the sounds of the places I was walking through. I believe the sounds we hear in a place are part of that place's identity in the same way as the things that we see, smell or hear there, even though we grow so used to them, that much too often we don't even notice them. However, they are still there when we don't realise, and even more so, they play a huge part in telling the story of a place.
Take this little clip that I recorded on my phone, for example. What do you think of when you hear it? What feelings or memories does it bring up? Can you "see" the streets of the Jewellery Quarter, as you listen to the track?
For me personally, it is a different experience listening to it again, as I was right there recording it. I remember stopping at the top of Vittoria Street - there was a buzzing sound coming from one of the buildings. After recording the first clip I turned left on Warstone Lane. I recognise the clink of the bottles a lady was carrying as she left one of the local shops. I remember walking by a runner, waiting for a car to rev up its engine. Vroom. People were chatting as they walked past. I could hear an airplane somewhere above in the clouds, while some birds were happily chirping.
Arriving at St. Paul's Square was a completely different scene. You could still hear cars driving around, but the sound of bird's songs was filling the air. It was just what a park is like during spring time... And of course, we also passed cheerful groups of people, some louder than others.
All of these sounds working together represent the Jewellery Quarter today - they testify that this beautiful place is very much alive. Cars, people, buildings, airplanes, birds - this is their place and they are truly and completely part of it.
