Creek sounds
2023
Sound walk and fishing game point
Creek sounds is a sound walk located in Økern, Oslo. It is following a part of Hovinbekken creek that is now flowing in a pipe underground but is planned to be reopened in the new city plan. The aim of the work is to visualize part of the new city plan in the Økern area and to make the transition easier for local people by replacing the noise of traffic and construction works and creating a space for imagination.
I made the sound file for the walk by recording ambient sounds of the already opened parts of Hovinbekken. At the other end of the route there were toy fishing rods to invite passers-by and sound walk participants to imagine the creek by playing fishing. The fishing rods were left to the site and in the following spring there were very little left of them. I made the fishing rods of branches that I collected from Hovinbekken and Alnaelva river, wool yarn bought from a local secondhand shop and small objects I collected from the area to function as weights.
The sound walk could be accessed through a Creek sounds website from November 2023 until March 2026. The website contained the audio file, a map of the route and instructions. To make the website accessible I printed QR-codes on movable sticker paper and placed them along the route.
Instructions:
- The walk can be started anywhere (along the route).
- Start to play the Creek sounds sound file and follow the route marked in purple on the map.
- There used to be fishing rods at the other end, marked with the fish symbol.
- Enjoy the walk:)
This walk is made for Production 1 autumn 2023 course of Master Program in Art and Public Space at Kunsthøgskolen i Oslo.
Fishing rods
QR-code stickers. During the project I found out that there was another project about following the underground part of the creek, Bekk to the Future, and I placed my sticker on their poster to connect our approaches.
Fishing at the final presentation of the course. Video and photos: Jelsen Lee Innocent