3A SOUNDWALK SERIES: Soil to Sand/Sky to River by Julie Hammond
St. Johns Park & Cathedral Park
Feb 15, 2021
Soil to Sand/Sky to River is a co-composition between walker and the surrounding environments. Guided by artist Julie Hammond, walkers will move through St. Johns, from a grassy park tucked just behind a vibrant commercial district to the shore of the Willamette River below. Inspired by soundwalking practices of Hildegard Westerkamp, Christopher Small’s “musicking”, and Robin Wall Kimmerer’s writing on interconnection, this soundwalk invites listeners to consider proximity and vantage, ground and grounding, roots and reaching as they playfully pay attention to the earth below and the sky and structures above.
Calling All Artists!
Third Angle and Julie Hammond invite walkers to create a single-page graphic score of their Soil to Sand/Sky to River soundwalk experience. Select scores will be performed by musicians residing in Montreal, Calgary, and Vancouver, BC.
A graphic score is a representation of music or sound using non-musical notation and can be created from symbols, colors, shapes, or text in any combination. Your score may relate to a single moment or the entirety of the soundwalk. Free interpretation and experimentation are encouraged!
While musicians from Canada cannot currently travel to Portland, the sounds you experience in St. Johns can travel freely through your score. The eye of your ear will visit another and return in an entirely new form. Send questions or scans of completed scores to admin@thirdangle.org.
Quick Facts about Soil to Sand/Sky to River
The soundwalk is approximately 1.4 miles and will take about 65 minutes.
The soundwalk begins outside the St. Johns Community Center at the intersection of N Central and N Leavitt at St Johns City Park.
Please note: the walk does not end in the same place it begins. (This simplest return route is directly up N Baltimore Ave).
There is a bike rack at the St. Johns Community Center, but better bike racks are available on N Burlington Ave.
The 4, 16, 44, and 75 buses all stop Lombard and Burlington, approximately 0.2 miles (4-5 mins walk) from the starting location.
There is street parking near the park.
This soundwalk moves from one city park to another and involves traversing public space and crossing streets. Please be mindful of others as you walk, and please take care when crossing streets. Heavy rain may make some of the route muddy, slippery, or inaccessible. Use your best judgement and enjoy whatever it is you find.
This walk was created in winter 2020/2021 when schools were closed due to COVID-19. The route involves crossing (and lingering) in a school playground. If school is in session and you are soundwalking during school hours, please travel around, and not through, the playground.
The audio file is available two ways February 15:
High-quality (WAV) and standard-quality (mp3) downloads through Google Drive, OR
Streamed directly from this webpage.
Print the route map below (recommended) or reference it from this webpage.
