- Recording -Chao Li, Ruotong Wu
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Organizing Recorded Audio Materials – Yiting Liu
A dog’s hearing range is much wider and farther than a human’s, so it can hear sounds from beyond Calton Hill. Based on this characteristic, we explored the area around the hill and thought it would be great to add the sound of church bells in our project. We researched nearby churches with scheduled bell ringing times, and then checked if they were visible from Calton Hill. In the end, we chose St Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral.
On the evening of March 27th, we arrived at the cathedral, hoping to record the sound of the bells. It was raining at the time, so we couldn’t really record anything from outside. Then we noticed a small side door and thought maybe we could go in to avoid the noise of the rain. Luckily, we met one of the bell ringers. After we explained what we were doing, he kindly offered to take us up to the bell tower.Getting up there wasn’t easy, we made great efforts to get there.
At first, we were a bit worried that our unexpected visit might be a bother, but every bell ringer we met was so kind and welcoming. They even took the time to explain the whole bell-ringing process to us. Before this experience, I always thought the sound of the bell came from one person ringing it. But I only learned today that this is a job that requires teamwork to complete. Each bell strike depends on timing, teamwork, and precision. Standing in the bell tower, watching them move in sync in such a small space, I could really feel the dedication and tradition behind their work. It’s not just about ringing the bell—it’s about trust, teamwork, and respect for time, rhythm, and tradition.
Even though the sound only made it into our project for a few seconds, the experience gave us a strong sense of connection to the city and its people. This is an experience I will cherish for the rest of my life.
