Friday 15 August 2008

Microscape




The Big Carpet Snake came through this country long ago in the Dreamtime. At that time the sea was not here (and) the land went all the way to the mainland... On his way down from the north, his body made the channel between Hinchinbrook Island and the mainland. The big snake came down the Herbert River, went out to sea and broke up leaving parts of his backbone which are the Palm Islands and his head which is Magnetic Island. The tail of his body is at Halifax Bay.
- Wulgurukaba people, Yunbenun (Magnetic Island), Queensland, Australia

4 comments:

SAM RENSEIW said...

superb soundtrack! in some ways, it reminds of the soundscape inside an airplane, and goes well with the altitude video.

visually: an opening, a view, an other altitude, confined in a space.

Steven Ball said...

Thanks Sam. The sound is simply a powerful air conditioner that was in that room as recorded on the microphone, no editing, production or manipulation. The location is a fort on Magnetic Island, a tropical island just off Townsville. The fort and a suite of nearby barrack buildings, gun emplacements and munitions stores were built in this relatively remote place as the first line of defense against Australia's perceived threat of attack by the Japanese. Now it's the end point on a long bush walking trail and provides spectacular panoramic views. I have no idea why someone found it necessary to install a huge air conditioning unit in that room. It requires electricity supplied by cables run across tens of kilometers of dense bush for no apparent benefit to anyone but the occasional bush walker (or voodler) who might stick around for a few minutes.

Steven Ball said...

"the first line of defense against Australia's perceived threat of attack by the Japanese." I should make it clear that this was during WW2!

SAM RENSEIW said...

speculating about the air-condition unit, i would guess that it was installed to cool (in)coming microphones in the future.
(one could immediately tell that this was a cool soundtrack in a hot spot:-)