Observation and Its Role in Sound Art and Image Making
Observation is one of the most important traits that I pursue in art. I scour the land in search of sound and images. I'm like an animal searching for it's prey when I have a camera or recorder in my hand. Often I am so intent on what I'm doing that everything else passes me by. Before a photograph is taken or a sound is recorded, you notice something. Something catches your attention. That act of observation is where both sound art and photography /image making begins for me. And it requires intense concentration.
The two seem very different, one made of sound and the other of images. But both depend on paying close attention to the world around us. It's a state of mind that requires you to be in the moment and keenly aware of your surroundings.
Observation is more than looking or hearing. Most of the time we tune out what surrounds us, like the hum of a fridge or the clutter of a familiar landscape. Making art in either medium means working against that habit: slowing down and noticing what others tend to skip over.
Sound artists treat listening as their main tool. They pay attention to the quiet background of a room, the rhythm of traffic, the wildlife in the forest or the echo of footsteps in a stairwell.
Field recording shows this as the person recording decides where to stand, where to point the microphone, how long to wait and what to leave out. Sound also unfolds over time, so listening is a durational practice and takes patience.
People who make photographs spend far more time looking than shooting. The frame is itself a tool of attention: by leaving most of a scene out and zeroing in, it tells the viewer where to look. It can also be a waiting game, though I tend to do it with speed as there is always more to shoot. I'm more of a point and shoot image maker using snapshots as opposed to someone who weighs up and considers everything. I quickly notice the way light falls, a small gesture or a detail that most people would walk past.
What the two have in common
Both pay attention to the overlooked, such as background noise, ordinary views and everyday routines.
Both work within limits. An image is silent and still, and a recording cannot be seen. These limits sharpen attention and ask the audience to fill in the rest.
Both involve choices about what to include, so neither is ever completely neutral.
Sound art and photography use different materials, but they share one method: slowing down and paying attention. The camera and the microphone are relatively easy to use. The harder skill is deciding what deserves to be seen or heard, and staying with it long enough to understand it.
© 2025 Jimmy Peggie