Machu Picchu paces
Mar 27, 10:21 AM
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"Machu Picchu Paces is inspired by my own trek along the Inca Trail in 2024, a journey of beauty, grandeur, and mystical setting culminating in Machu Picchu that left a deep impression on me. The raw beauty of the young Andes Mountains, the shifting terrain and biomes, and the sacred sense of place – a perfect integration of architecture into the landscape – resonated deeply with me.
"My composition was created exclusively using a field recording from a 5-day trek along the Inca trail – the same duration as mine. The piece responds to the walking rhythm captured in the recording, which seemed unusually fast compared to my experience. Slow and steady is the way of the Inca Trail, and I wanted to expand the scope of rhythms to embrace the full range of travelers. I used time scaling to adjust the step rate and create four variants at different tempos, ranging from 40 steps per minute (an elderly hiker) to 150 (a professional porter). These operations produced sound files of different durations, which were then each time-scaled again to a common cadence to simulate a group hiking together. Subtle fluctuations introduced in individual tracks within the common cadence group reflect the natural dynamic of hikers falling behind or surging ahead — group formation, dissolution, and the effort of the climb.
"Through minimal additional sound processing techniques limited to simulated analog delay, filtering, and mixing, I aimed to retain the essence of the original recording while revealing something unexpected. What emerged surprised me – almost animal-like sounds within the fractured density of layered paces, reflecting how the “natural” landscape of the Inca Trail has merged with cultural forces to create something both timeless and new.
"Machu Picchu Paces reflects on tourism and collective movement along this historic path. As our guide reminded us, the worldwide appeal of Inca heritage supports a vital economy for local communities. Culminating in a pre-dawn descent to the historic site, I arrived exhausted and overwhelmed by the scale of the built environment and the surrounding mountain peaks. While Machu Picchu is rightfully named one of the New 7 Wonders of the World, the trail that leads to it is equally filled with wonder – present yet veiled, mystical and arduous. Machu Picchu Paces highlights the sonic heritage of a journey that connects travellers across centuries."
Trek to Machu Picchu reimagined by David Galbraith.
———————
This sound is part of the Sonic Heritage project, exploring the sounds of the world’s most famous sights.
Find out more and explore the whole project: https://www.citiesandmemory.com/heritage
"My composition was created exclusively using a field recording from a 5-day trek along the Inca trail – the same duration as mine. The piece responds to the walking rhythm captured in the recording, which seemed unusually fast compared to my experience. Slow and steady is the way of the Inca Trail, and I wanted to expand the scope of rhythms to embrace the full range of travelers. I used time scaling to adjust the step rate and create four variants at different tempos, ranging from 40 steps per minute (an elderly hiker) to 150 (a professional porter). These operations produced sound files of different durations, which were then each time-scaled again to a common cadence to simulate a group hiking together. Subtle fluctuations introduced in individual tracks within the common cadence group reflect the natural dynamic of hikers falling behind or surging ahead — group formation, dissolution, and the effort of the climb.
"Through minimal additional sound processing techniques limited to simulated analog delay, filtering, and mixing, I aimed to retain the essence of the original recording while revealing something unexpected. What emerged surprised me – almost animal-like sounds within the fractured density of layered paces, reflecting how the “natural” landscape of the Inca Trail has merged with cultural forces to create something both timeless and new.
"Machu Picchu Paces reflects on tourism and collective movement along this historic path. As our guide reminded us, the worldwide appeal of Inca heritage supports a vital economy for local communities. Culminating in a pre-dawn descent to the historic site, I arrived exhausted and overwhelmed by the scale of the built environment and the surrounding mountain peaks. While Machu Picchu is rightfully named one of the New 7 Wonders of the World, the trail that leads to it is equally filled with wonder – present yet veiled, mystical and arduous. Machu Picchu Paces highlights the sonic heritage of a journey that connects travellers across centuries."
Trek to Machu Picchu reimagined by David Galbraith.
———————
This sound is part of the Sonic Heritage project, exploring the sounds of the world’s most famous sights.
Find out more and explore the whole project: https://www.citiesandmemory.com/heritage