The last sound in our tour through the Quiet Street installation appropriately enough takes us to the end of our journey – catching the train home from Bath Spa station. Announcements herald the arrival of the train to London, with chatter on the platform and the final roar of the train pulling into the station.
Seagulls are an important soundmark in many coastal locations, especially around the UK, where they’ve become hulking, chip-stealing monstrosities of legend to many people. The gulls of Bath aren’t quite so physically imposing as some of the more directly coastal specimens around Britain, but what
Certainly the most bucolic, and possibly the most relaxing sound from our Quiet Street installation is this field recording from Norfolk Crescent, which leads down to the River Avon. Here, after a recording of a clanging metal gate closing behind me, we settle down by the river for a few minutes of r & r by the water, punctuated by birdsong and a couple of passers-by.
What sound map of the city of Bath would be complete without a sample of the organ from its famous Abbey?
We were fortunate enough to catch some organ practice on a Sunday afternoon and pick up some of the sounds of the booming, majestic organ echoing around the huge abbey interior.
We’re heading into a sinister tunnel of reverb and drones today. Alongside Bath Spa rail station, there’s a brick tunnel leading through to river, at the back of which are the kitchens of several restaurants. You can hear the buzz and drone of extractor fans and air conditioning, and the intense reverb of the tunnel.
