Soundscape (voices)

A prominent sound within the space of the arboretum is the sound of people’s voices. While experiencing the site, conversations by other visitors are blocked out in an attempt to fully enjoy the natural elements of the arboretum. The installation calls out sounds that could hold compelling information but are only temporary. The installation preserves the temporary by recording conversations, then highlights it in a provocative way to reveal past aspects of the site: the people who have visited before, the history of the area, and the stories told about the space. This is done by setting up multiple mouthpieces as visual indicators that talk to each other and, with motion sensor technology, give the allusion that they are talking to the visitors.