“Sound is a second-class citizen of our consciousness, but it has a secret weapon: stealth.”
Randy Thom
So, last night was a bit of a sonic adventure for me at the Garden Cinema in London. I caught this gem of a documentary called "32 Sound," directed by Sam Green.
The presentation of the Doc varied based on the cinema. In my case, it took the form of the Theatrical Headphone Experience. Picture this: you're in your own little sound bubble, yet somehow, you're also sharing the vibe with everyone else in the theatre. Sam Green wrapped it up perfectly at the end, describing it as being "isolated in your world but at the same time, sharing the experience with the other people in the theatre." Quite the paradox, huh?
Personally, this documentary felt like a meditation session wrapped in visuals and sound waves. As I walked out, I couldn't help but feel inspired, and I need to spill a few details without spoiler too much:
Let's talk about Annea Lockwood, the experimental composer. That smile of hers when she was geeking out about the sounds she picked up with a hydrophone. And the concept of " listening with" instead of listening to something. Like the director, she was also present last night at the screening.
Then there was this emotional moment with Professor Edgar Choueiri. He listened back to a recording of him talking from when he was 11 years old.
He's teaming up with Mark Mangini to explore binaural listening inside a cinema.
The sound artist Mark Mangini is also the sound designer of "32 Sounds". There is this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5A3pYRigMo interview from the Soundwork collection if you want to explore more.
The documentary is full of special moments, another one that personally brought me into another dimension was the big choir in the church scene, or the visit to the National Sound Archive in London (I'm planning to go there, let me know if you want to come).
In a world where the sound industry often gets bogged down in technicalities, "32 Sound" brings a poetic breeze. It's a reminder, myself included! that besides all the wires and tech stuff, there's a profound connection we share with the sounds around us.
A documentary like this is like a sonic reset button, and trust me, we all need that every now and then.