Reading Responce 1

Gary Ferrington’s, On a Clear Day I Can Hear Forever struck a pleasant remembrance of my childhood. Back in the days of grade school, I spent early evenings at my grandmother’s house in the small town of Kewaskum. Her house was off a major freeway but still tucked within the inner section of the township. In comparison to my house, grandma’s was like playground of noises. My home was hidden gently in the woods, and traffic noise was non-existent. As night came closer, the traffic became louder, and more traffic, meant mom and dad were close to picking me up. Overall, the trends of traffic could remind me of the time on the clock, and in early mornings, I always knew when I had to wake up. This article tapped into these memory gems, and gave me moments of enjoyable daydreaming.

In the article Ferrington discussed the noises of his city, his enjoyment with them, and the subtle differences while the day and season progressed. Ferrington poetically describes the noises of his city which include the traffic noise building through the early morning and the birds chirping at the first signs of light. However, Ferrington shows great attentiveness to his city noises, and during the article informs readers he can distinguish what airplanes are leaving the nearby port. Also, throughout the article words like “enjoy” and “safe” make appearances showing the writers affinity for these sounds. His overall expression is that these fluctuating noises are moments to be admired. Finally, Ferrington discusses how the changing seasons and progression of the day produces different sound. Early morning there are subtle moments of quiet life through the window as birds awake and cars begin to hum down streets. However, the birds begin to take a back stage as people fill the streets. In the end, Ferrington describes his favorite time to listen, during the winter. He mentions that when the snow falls, the sounds become dulled and quieted. Gary Ferrington’s article detailed noises of the city, the enjoyments of these noises, and changes among sounds in his article On a Clear Day I Can Hear Forever.

As a media artist, I can take a lot from Ferrington’s article. If I wish to direct films, I need to take into context every element of the setting. By understanding what impressions different elements give, I can control what I want my viewers to understand. Also, I understand that there are always noises around us, and when recording I need to be conscious of every object emitting noise. This awareness will allow the editing process to go much smoother. Overall, Ferrington’s article has great nuances for everyone, but for a media artist, there are many ideas to hold onto and remember.

Mitch Keller