Soundtrack through Shoyoen Gardens
COMBINING nature and cultural appreciation with new forms of technology, the Shoyoen Japanese Gardens has a new interactive feature enhancing the next visit.
There will be QR codes at the entrance of the gardens enabling people to scan and interact.
The voice of the Shoyoen Sound Walk app, Emily Phimmachanh walks you through the origins of nature and how vital the gardens are to the Dubbo community.
Music composer, Georgie Saunders said she wanted to create an atmosphere alongside Emily’s voice to encompass each aspect of the gardens.
“You can hear the breeze hitting the trees through the flute,” she continued, saying that each element is represented through the composition, including the earth, stones and pebbles and the water.
She addressed that the music was inspired by the garden itself and added that “when you walk it is almost like it is a living and breathing organism, which it is”.
When being asked to work on the project, Georgie gravitated towards taiko drums, taiko sticks and a Japanese flute called Shinobue.
Georgie records her practice pieces as she does not know if she will need them again, saying she recorded a lot of random pieces and managed to find a “golden gem” of a drum hitting that she loved.
“I mashed the random pieces together
by putting them in different spots of overlaying them,” she added, saying that she has never composed professionally before.
Using the platform Garage Band, she practised using their formulation of loops and adding
in her vocals.
“Whether I’m singing or playing the drums, I like to make a composition with whatever I can to create an atmosphere,” Georgie shared.
She explained she wanted people
to hear active heartbeats drawn through the plants and animals to produce the soundtrack.
“Everything works together to make this environment, and I wanted that to be heard,” Georgie expressed.