Creatively Mapping Soundscapes

Creatively Mapping Soundscapes
October 22, 3:30–7:30pm, Tideman Johnson Park
Ages 12+

Our urban soundscape is quite often jarring, with an increasing onslaught of the sounds of construction, traffic, and other mechanical and human elements. City parks offer some buffer to this anxiety-inducing reality, and new combinations of sonic elements. In this workshop we will work in groups to document the soundscapes of the Johnson Creek through writing and creative mapping techniques. Participants will take decibel readings, make field recordings, and learn to take proper field notes. Each group will develop their own methods to graphically represent this information on a map, and we will share our work at the end of the workshop. The work produced will be shared with the public on the Johnson Creek College blog as a printable sonic field guide, with accompanying audio mp3s. Workshop groups will be provided with blank maps & field guides. Please bring a headlamp or flashlight, warm clothes, rain jacket & comfortable shoes. We will have a limited supply of gear on hand for sharing. If you have the following items, please bring them: a charged smartphone and portable charger, camera, sound recorder, headphones. Once you register, you will be sent a list of free apps to download ahead of time to your smart device. No experience or sound identification skills are necessary!

Taught by Lisa Schonberg
Lisa Schonberg is a musician, artist and natural historian. She started playing drums as a child in Staten Island, NY, moved out west in 2000 to pursue graduate studies on ants and conservation biology, and has since traveled extensively to carry out fieldwork and perform music. She earned her Masters in Environmental Studies at the Evergreen State College in Olympia, WA. Much of her recent work integrates her interests through creative documentation of soundscapes, insects, and habitat. She currently performs in HITS, STLS, The Newman/Schonberg/Reyna Group and solo, and composes for her percussion ensemble Secret Drum Band. Lisa is the author of The DIY Guide to Drums , The Hylaeus Project, and Fieldguided, a series of books on insects and their habitats. She is a regular contributor to Tom Tom Magazine and is the magazine's Northwest Correspondent. Her past bands include Explode into Colors and Kickball, and she has performed or otherwise collaborated with Nadia Buyse/DUBAIS, Thao With The Get Down Stay Down, Mirah, Tara Jane Oneil, Tuneyards, Von Tundra, Neal Morgan, The Need, Thanksgiving, Cloud Eye Control, and Janet Pants, among others. She has performed at MOMA PS1, the Centre Pompidou, High Desert Test Sites, The Los Angeles Museum of Natural History, the TBA Festival (Portland), and Michigan Womyn's Music Festival. Lisa currently resides in Portland, Oregon and teaches private drum lessons at Revival Drum Shop.

Barter

The sonic field guides and MP3's created during the class will be made available for download on the Creek College and Johnson Creek Watershed Council websites.

Sign Up Below!

Name

First Name

Last Name

Email Address

Phone Number

(###)

###

####

Class

Emergency Contact

First Name

Last Name

Emergency Contact Telephone

(###)

###

####

Do you live in Southeast Portland?

Yes

No

Have you ever been to the Johnson Creek?

Yes

No

Disabilities

Please describe any disabilities you may have that we can accommodate for.

Knowledge of Material

Do you have previous experience in the topic of the course you are signing up for?

General Liability Waiver

I authorize and grant permission for a representative of The Creek College to treat minor injuries including scrapes, small cuts, splinters, and insect bites. I authorize and grant permission for a representative of The Creek College to obtain emergency medical care from any licensed physician or hospital and/or medical clinic should my child become ill or injured. I therefore freely and voluntarily execute this release with such knowledge, assume the risk of personal injury and/or property loss arising from or in any way connected with participation in any programs offered by The Creek Colleges. I hereby release and discharge The Creek Colleges and any and all agents of The Creek Colleges from any liability, claim, cause of action, demand or damages from injury or damages of any kind to my child, myself or my property as a result of participation in the programs of The Creek College. I grant permission and understand that photos and other images taken during this event could be used in print advertisements and other forms of media to promote The Creek College. I understand that should my child, or myself become a disruptive force during the educational program that the instructor may choose to release him/her from the program.

I have read and agreed to the terms and conditions of the general liability waiver.

Yes