What sounds temporarily disappeared from our lives, and whose return is not worth waiting for – discussion
We decided to talk about sounds that temporarily disappeared from our lives.
Photo Suganth / Unsplash
How we live, work and relax
Airports and train stations are much quieter than usual. Due to reduced passenger flow, Singapore’s national airline put on joke 96% of their aircraft. Flights are carried out by nine vessels, mainly with residents of the country. No in terminal habitual homon of people and frequent landing controller announcements.
But even in such conditions, some things remain unchanged. At Changi Airport continues function flipchart – visiting card of the terminal. Before the global crisis there gathered tourists from all over the world, only to take pictures on the background of this memorable object. Many say that it is click sound they associate with travel.
For the next few days from our lives disappeared and open space sounds – hum of air conditioners, phone calls and rustling printers. But perhaps this is even for the best. Office noise can “drive people crazy“. Various studies confirmedthat in open space it is impossible to maintain focus. Most distract conversations of colleagues – live and by phone. Remote work from home is an opportunity to relax and reboot.
Changes have affected other areas. I had to forget about stadium trips and music concerts. This is not as good news as rest from open space. A couple of years ago, specialists from Goldsmith College establishedthat attending events with live music once every two weeks can prolong life by nine years. The effect is due to the fact that concerts positively affect the feeling of well-being of a person.
It is hoped that live music will soon return to our lives. But for now, streaming services can brighten up your home pastime, including with movies and TV shows. Many such resources are already took advantage of the situationto expand your audience. Now cinemas are closed or empty. But if you really want to immerse yourself in that atmosphere, we recommend that you run a thematic background ASMR video. By the way, some people may be comfortable working under such ambient from home.
The Red Book of Sounds
The noise of offices, airports, stadiums will undoubtedly return to us when the self-isolation regime ends. And in such a short time, in any case, we will not forget how all these things sound. However, there are sounds that may soon become part of the story. So that they don’t disappear at all, special organizations “save” them, recording the sound of all kinds of gadgets, rare languages and hidden corners of the planet.
The British Library has one of the world’s largest audio collections of “sound prints.” There are collected hundreds of materials with stories, tales, and ordinary speech by representatives of indigenous peoples from different countries – even recorded on wax cylinders. In turn, the project Sound diaries strives to capture the sounds of everyday life. On the site you can find a record working vending machines.
Photo Free to use sounds / Unsplash
Enthusiasts also strive to preserve the sound of all kinds of gadgets. Remember how the needle printer popped? Or with what sound did your favorite prefix start in childhood? How did the wheel snap on your first iPod? So that these sounds are not erased from memory, they are collected by virtual museums like Conserve the sound or Museum of Endangered Sounds. Thanks to these resources, parents in the future will be able to clearly explain to children what “hackneyed record” means. Or why we still say “hang up.”
If you have any ideas on what sounds you want to pass on to future generations, feel free to share your thoughts. Perhaps the main conclusion to which the current situation is pushing us is that our lifestyle is rather fragile, so everyone should think about how to preserve it.
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