Artist Statement

I was a Hinge Artist in Residence in 2015, and have been looking for a project to bring me back to Fergus Falls, MN since then. Creating a GPS-mediated soundwalk was the perfect solution. In June 2021, I visited Fergus Falls, walking throughout town, along the river walk, at the Kirkbride, and around Lake Alice, taking notes on a map of dominant acoustic phenomena, and recording the walk. Later I reviewed my notes and listened back to the recordings to identify soundmarks (sonic landmarks) and keynotes (the general tone or “key” of a sonic environment). I analyzed the audio recordings for sonic features that suggested listening to the environment as music, that evoked or inspired in me musical contributions I could make that complement the sonic ecology, or that would draw our attention to sonic features through imitation, tuning, and contrast.

I spoke with Chris Shuelke, an historian with the Otter Tail County Historical Society. He recommended several possible walks, and we discussed the history of the area for meaningful associations I might be inspired by. One story involves the Cyclone of 1919, a significant tragedy in the community. There is a legend that a church bell was flung into Lake Alice, and that you can still hear the ringing of the bell. (I think the bell was from St. James Episcopal Church, but four churches were leveled by The Cyclone, so I am not certain.) Bells and water became the touchstone for my work. 

The sound that forms the basis of the soundwalk comes from recordings of church bells, both real and synthesized. Ringing bells dominate the soundtrack as you walk around Lake Alice. As you move further from Lake Alice, what remains are the resonant tones of bells, the after effect of ringing a bell. And in a nod to the history of the river, at the end of the river walk (and from Wright Park) you can hear the ringing of a hand bell, such as you would encounter on a small steam boat.

There are some interesting phenomena you may encounter on the river walk. As you near the Otter Tail Power Company building, a tremendous amount of electromagnetic interference becomes audible over your headphones. And as you near the dam, the small building housing the turbine and related machinery generates a symphony of electronic sounds all on its own.

Part of what makes this app effective at connecting the listener with the sonic ecology is anticipation. Having downloaded the app and put on headphones, the listener is prepared to hear something, but not necessarily what. And so, the listener is paying close attention to sound, actively listening and toggling between different modes or levels of listening attention. Composer and acoustic ecologist Barry Truax identifies “listening-in-search”—which I imagine is happening when first using the app—as the listener is waiting to hear evidence of my work, or evidence that the app is working at all. “Listening-in-readiness” is the other level of attention I think is activated by using the SonAR app. As the sounds of my composition and of the local sonic ecology become familiar, attention can be focused elsewhere. If a change to what is heard occurs—a new sound, or noticing the absence of a sound—the ready listener becomes aware, and focuses on that change, perhaps the circumstances surrounding it. At the end of the soundwalk, the listener will have actively engaged with the sonic ecology, perhaps becoming newly aware of certain sounds or the reasons they exist, or even simply questioning why the locale sounds the way it does and why they feel the way they do about the sound.

—Scott L. Miller