SILENT LONDON - 5 YEARS ON
A binaural study by Will Cohen
please wear headphones for a true binaural experience
check your L+R phones are the correct way round (to match the perspective of the stills)
listen somewhere quiet
In the final days before London was shut down in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I made sound recordings of areas that I care about as a Londoner. From documenting spots that I skated at as a teenager, through to areas I have worked in - I wanted to see what familiar sounds still resonated at this unprecedented time. I used the binaural microphone technique - if you close your eyes and imagine, the physics behind this method of sound capture will immerse you in a 3D stereo environment pictured in the stills that I took on my journey.
Exactly five years on, I recaptured the sound of these same locations, to investigate the changes in our environment and reflect on how much has passed since. From the live performers in Covent Garden, to the multitude of languages across Hungerford Footbridge—what joy to take the time to simply listen and reflect on how much colour and life London has when in full swing.
There's clearly a huge contrast to the silence of those days in early 2020 that made me first get out recording, but there are signs of how the world hasn't simply returned to how it was. Amongst the distant bagpipes and a hint of Big Ben ringing out in Parliament Square you'll find the proliferation of electric vehicles in the streets and the insistent beeping of a seemingly friendly robot cleaner circling me in Charing Cross Station - it has been a rewarding exploration for me to go back to these spots and I hope you find it worthwhile listening to the results.
Compare these two distinct snapshots below per location and let me know what you think!
__
Will Cohen
