Musical Pathways

Perhaps the quietest place in Chongqing is a place called Ciqikou. This is an ancient town with a history of more than 1,000 years that has kept its traditional feel. The main thoroughfare suffers from being a bit touristy, but as soon as one diverts to the back alleys, the noise level drops considerably, and one is treated to a more gentle soundscape. Here the sounds are of nature, quiet domestic life, the occasional hawker and the shuffling sandals of someone passing on their way. Everything seems more relaxed and, in turn, the sounds seem more musical. The hawkers in the city centre, for example, shout out their wares; here their advertising sounds more like phrases of a song.

Today has been a very un-Ciqikou experience for me as I have been working hectically all day in the installation space dealing with one event after another. Still, in the end I did manage to set out all that I aimed to achieve, even though it took a good few hours extra. Tomorrow’s an early start again. My aim is to finish installing a day early and then it will be time for me to visit those musical pathways again.