Guild Hall in East Hampton presents “Full of Noises,” a self-guided soundwalk that will lead the public through known spaces with new, heightened, and playful listening.
Composed and narrated by sound artist Viv Corringham and produced by Anthony Madonna and Patrick Dawson, “Full of Noises” was created in celebration of Guild Hall’s 90th anniversary and links together the cultural gifts of Founder Mary Woodhouse — Guild Hall itself, the Duck Pond, and Clinton Academy — with prompts for finding, imagining, and remembering sounds. Participants will be prompted to download Gesso, a free phone app., pop-in a pair of headphones, and listen.
“It is such a treat to be working with Viv Corringham again,” said Anthony Madonna, Guild Hall’s Patti Kenner Senior Associate for Learning and Public Engagement. “As an inaugural Community Artist-in-Residence in 2020, Viv led a series of workshops and performances that challenged us to listen and observe the sounds around us in new ways, and she has done that again with this soundwalk, but this time focusing on the communal centers we know best.”
“When you register for the soundwalk on Guild Hall’s website, you’ll be sent instructions for how to download the Gesso application on your phone,” Madonna continued. “You then simply pop-in some headphones, follow the map on your screen, and a series of listening exercises and prompts will play as you walk. Gesso is a geo-locative app, so there’s no need to press play — as you walk into a hotspot, a recording will automatically turn on! The walk takes about an hour-and-a-half, so wear good walking shoes, and bring a portable charger.”
Once registered through Guild Hall’s website participants will receive instructions on how to access the soundwalk through Gesso. The walk begins at Guild Hall, leads walkers through the Duck Pond on Davids Lane, and finally to East Hampton Historical Society’s Clinton Academy. It has been noted that playfulness is encouraged.
“I love leading groups on soundwalks and I’m always happy when people are surprised by how many sounds they notice,” said Corringham. “As we can’t walk together at the moment, I decided to make a guided walk that people can do by themselves. Walking around a duck pond would usually be about looking, but this walk puts the focus on listening. As I walked through East Hampton recording my suggestions for listening, I found it fascinating to experience the familiar village in an unfamiliar way.”
“Full of Noises” is free of charge and will be available from April 24 through October 17.