Sounding Clayton Composition

The aim of this online sound event was to promote connection to the local environment and each other through sonic art making. The workshops provided participants of all ages and abilities the opportunity to listen to the creative possibilities of their environment in exciting new ways. By immersing themselves in the sounds around us via Zoom, participants in this 40 minute session explored and manipulated sound-making materials in their immediate environment through musical improvisation. They were encouraged to engage with each other by sharing personal sound stories about their favourite things in Clayton. These stories revealed both the diversity and commonalities of the community’s lived experiences that provide the sonic basis for the creation of our Clayton soundscapes. Workshop leaders prompted and led participants to experiment with sound-producing objects, their voices and bodies, including spoken word in playful and intriguing ways. Participants had the option of performing or participating through active listening if preferred and no prerequisites were required. This play-based, inclusive approach to community engagement is inspired by the Zoom improvisation experiments of the famous Glasgow Improvisers Orchestra and the listening pedagogies of Murray Schafer’s acoustic ecology work. Fundamental to this approach is the celebration of all individual’s creative capacities and socially engaged lifelong learning. The workshop audio was recorded for the production of a sonic artwork ‘Sounding Clayton’. Following the conclusion of the 3 workshops, a short sound-based music work was composed from the workshop audio data that is used for public dissemination by the City of Monash via social media.