COVID-19_Belfast City: Lockdown 1

Recorded at 6:12 pm

The leaning clock of Belfast which would have passers from the Lagan River or the City Centre, had very few people completing their government issued daily activity. There was more cars and buses then there were people.

Recorded at 6:26pm

As droplets of rain began falling from the sky, I was across the street watching as people (tourists or locals) were enjoying a cold beverage outdoors at a local pub. This time was different, the servers were extra careful nearing customers, the distance between people seemed irregular, and there were moments of nervousness when people stepped too close to one another. Yet, in spirit, it seemed like everyone was trying to return to a normal routine. It was also my first time hearing the Albert Memorial Clock bells ring, right at the moment when the rain intensified.

Recorded at 5:15pm

Looking at the Spirit of Belfast, you will know you’re at a local stop for shopping. Most of the times there will be a performer or musician in this circle, grabbing the attention of shoppers, there will be your fast walkers, your slow walkers, those who zoom past you with their bicycle. On this day, nothing. Only a few instances of signs of civilization.

Recorded at 3:50pm

In the middle of a large crossing point for shoppers, it seems as if the idea has been to try to return things to normal in our daily lives. However, looking around you see some frightened by the current epidemic — wearing masks continuously outdoors, others removing after exiting a store and others have them stowed away in their jacket or bag. There are also the Belfast posters of “Stay Safe – Please Wash Your Hands” or “Distance”, this has become another indication of a change from the lockdown, ways of keeping everyone safe. Months ago, when the lockdown began, this area had a large difference in sonic characteristics, as people have returned there is a returning sound of congestion by our human presence, we fill the gaps between the industrial and natural sound environment generated in these types of places.

Recorded at 5:05pm

A starting point for locals and tourists, it points us in different directions to go. Whether that is for shopping, drinking, grabbing a quick snack, or finding local tours. Yet, the only thing that truly remains is the scheduled buses that pass in front of the City Hall, and the one lady who feeds a group of seagulls in front of the Burger King.

Recorded at 6:00pm

I have been conducting these recordings as an observer however sometimes my kindliness gets the better of me to help someone out. In this situation, I disregarded all the measures I have put in place to protect myself from the spread of Covid-19 and wanted to help a tourist capture his time in front of Belfast City Hall. Only after did I realize what I had done and cleaned my hands and equipment. Naturally, we are beings of interaction and I have not interacted with strangers in close to 5 months, it felt needed to help, to feel human again. It also changes my overall project from not only being observation but interactive audio soundscape journalism.

Recorded at 7:04pm

The gentle and soothing paradise of Belfast seemed unchanged, while there would more people on a Friday afternoon. Nature always stood above any of the sounds us humans would generate in this magnificent playground.

Recorded at 5:09pm

My proximity to Botanic Gardens allows me to take multiple walks through the park, it is a wonderful place to change scenery after constantly looking at the walls of my apartment. There are always people in and out of the park, either coming to take a stroll, or passing through to get to another destination. Whereas as a few months ago, this place was deserted and the sounds of nature and wildlife thrived, has now blended with human sounds once again. It is nice to see and hear people trying to find normality in their lives again.

Recorded at 5:58pm

A rare occasion to witness a Friday afternoon with the entire Commercial Court empty. This popular location usually gathers groups of locals and tourists to a begin their weekend festivities. Even looking into some of the bars, they still had their St. Patrick decorations up.

Recorded at 6:46pm

Another transitional recording from being observational to interactive with locals who were asking me (a guy with a recorder, dressed for warmth, tripods, and wires) about the information on the bars in the area. I did find it amusing talking with the couple and also confusing when half of the area’s bars were open (later to find out only bars that served food can reopen). It is bizarre to compare one half of the area to another; this area usually thrives with foot and taxi traffic since it is one of the highlights of the city. It shows that we are not at a point where anything is returning to normal any time soon. Also, worth mentioning, this was the first weekend that bars and pubs were allowed to reopen (note: only that served food), so surprising to see that there were still people heading out for the night.

Recorded at 4:51pm

One of the busier streets of Belfast, surrounded by the bus station, Europa Hotel, Opera theatre, and Crown Liquor Salon reflects how life just stopped, for everyone. However, while most things are bordered and shut down there is always a local squabble at the nearby Tesco Express.

Recorded at 3:36pm

Next to the Europa Hotel, there is the Belfast Bus Station for local and distance commute around the island. Multiple times people were going in and out, either leaving/returning from work, a weekend trip, or just heading home from the city. People are trying to find the normal in their lives, certain areas have reopened, and others remain closed. People and vehicle traffic have retaken the sound of the city, masking the clarity of intricate sonic activities that were occurring throughout the lockdown. It begs to ask, what are we missing every day when we put ourselves everywhere?

Recorded at 4:20pm

A Friday afternoon with no students circling around the campus has left a void in Queen’s quarter, such as being in the middle of an open desert and seeing no signs of life for great distances.

Recorded at 2:53pm

Not much has changed with Queen’s University Belfast, they have opened their front doors again for limited access to the Graduate School and Library. There is some staff working around the building, but not much other information that I would know of. Standing in front of the building you can see warning signs of keeping your distance and to protect yourself. The harsh winds throwing around a metal object in the distance generated this odd feeling that our return to the city is creating a lot more energy in the environment, that we are trying to find our place again amidst the aftermath of the lockdown. We are trying to figure out what this new normal will be like, will it clash or be embraced.

Recorded at 4:34pm

Usually a crossroad from the University campus to the City centre, yet very few people walking about, going to local markets for their essentials. This recording also reflects the lonesomeness in the city, the lady with the luggage, either traveling with her recently purchased items or heading to the bus centre to leave the city.

Recorded at 3:18pm

I learned that they call this junction the “Golden Mile” due to the amount of the surrounding working-class areas, connection to main streets, and the percentage of restaurants or pubs connected to it. Perhaps this is why it felt uneasy when I began the recordings in March and there was no one around because everyone was told to be home and this area would usually have a larger number of the population surrounding or walking about. Returning to this spot after all these months felt like almost nothing had happened, that we just skipped 6-months of lockdown and everyone returned to what they were doing before that. Traffic, people, restaurants, pubs, they were all there and functioning again. I could not tell in this particular moment that anything had happened to Belfast.

Recorded at 5:49pm

The gigantic cathedral with the park across the street is silenced. No one in sight, only the wind and birds passing by.

Recorded at 7:10pm

Standing in the local park across the cathedral brought on new perspectives, I was able to stand in the middle of this giant circle area listening to people at different points in the park. There were kids somewhere in far back that were just hanging out together, to my left two men who were discussing something quite important, workers leaving the office, and even some guests for a local hotel to my right. This one spot generated multiple sonic activities as if we weren’t just in lockdown for almost three months. People just went back to what they were doing, as almost nothing happened.

Recorded at 5:36pm

A hidden gem between buildings and stores, having local bars and pubs that will have your locals or tourist wondering about trying to figure out where they may be within the city. Or just a casual shortcut between streets, to get to one place just a little quicker. This have been overtaken by the noise of generators and there is no longer any drunken chatter in these passages.

Recorded at 7:23pm

Quite an awkward moment when you’re standing with your recording equipment near one of the entry points to the bars in the alley. There was live music that then switched to streaming music, people walking in and out of the alley, trying to say silly things into the microphone, the few odd stares, and I wanted to keep my distance. I just let the recorder pick up all these different sound interactions that evolved in this tiny narrow space.