Owen Ho
Himalayan Birch – Betula utilis
I have always cycled to the RCM through Hyde Park. Amongst other trees, I find the Himalayan Birch tree particularly interesting with its unique shape and white bark, so I thought I would create a short piece of sound art to pay tribute to this species which has kept me company these years.
On one chilly, dark night in mid-January as I left the RCM, I mounted a portable microphone on my bike and recorded my journey back home. Most sounds recorded – as one would expect – were the sounds of the wind, but I found them strangely satisfying, almost hypnotic. There is something primeval about these sounds; they are simultaneously soothing and somewhat haunting.
I manipulated the sounds in various ways, resulting in a sonic experience that hopefully recreates the sensation that I experienced as I rode through the park, a sensation that I have never been so aware of as I was with my monitor earphones on (so that I could really listen attentively to what the microphone picked up).
For those with keen ears, you might find a “H-Y-D-E” cryptogram gliding through the wind.