Early birds! Stay tuned for a dawn-time soundwalk with Sounds in the City

by Mariana Mejia

You may have visited the Montreal Botanical Gardens before, but have you ever visited before sunrise? Our upcoming soundwalk, a collaboration with the ‘Dawn Stroll’ event organized by the Gardens staff, will take participants off the marked trails and away from the stimulus of their cellphones to place themselves in a guided auditory experience like no other.

Starting at 4 am, participants will witness the auditory spectacle that welcomes a new day, produced by the various species that call the Botanical Gardens home. This soundwalk offers a heightened sonic perception that prompts active listening of one’s immediate surroundings as the lighting changes from night to day. It will also allow the participants to ponder how much the urban sounds beyond the Gardens affect their experience and define the sonic environment of a natural space nested within the city.

The soundwalk will be led by ornithologist Jean-Philippe Gagnon and Dr. Catherine Guastavino, head of the Sounds in the City project.

Listen below for a sample of the sounds heard in the Botanical Gardens shortly after sunrise.

 

Visit here for more information about the soundwalk: http://rhn-espacepourlavie.ca/promenade-a-l-aube.php

photography by Luis Mejia