Blind-folded walk in Amager FĂŚlled
Transcription by Yatu Tan and Gabrilelle Sanchez
A blindfolded walk in Amager Fælled Date: Saturday, 16 February 2019 Time: 14:00-15.45. Weather: Sunny, 7 degrees Celsius. Louise Moreau is a Final Master Thesis
Contributors:
Semester student at the Spatial Design course in The Royal Danish Academy of
L Louise Moreau (blindfolded)
Fine Arts, Schools of Architecture.
D David Joe Thomas
(guiding Louise)
G Gaby Sanchez
(leading the walk)
T Yatu Tan
(videoing from behind)
00:00 (Wind blows) G: Can you see anything? L: I can tell there is sun, I can tell its not night G: How does the ground feel? L: It feels like it’s hard soil or something, its nice actually (Gravel sounds change) D & G: Now? L: Isnt it the same? Now, no maybe its concrete. Also I can hear it, it’s different. D: What else can you hear? L: I can hear the wind and I can hear other people talking. I can hear the cars. But they’re getting further right? D: What L: The cars, I mean we’re walking away from the cars. Oh. Is there a step?
Finding her bearings through listening to the sounds of the city and the commons
D: Nono, come here L: Oh my god, sorry. Okay now we’re on grass. Super uneven. It’s much more stressful actually the grass, because there’s bumps. Wait, is there a slope? Are we going down a small slope? Yea now.. G: Are you feeling more comfortable after walking for a while? L: Yeah, but the transition between the floor feels really surprising. Also because we were following something, you know. Oh now there’s trees on the left, because the light is scattered. G: Where do you think we’re going. L: Are we in a park? I mean we left the path, we walked off the path so now we’re on the grass. And there’s trees on the left. We’re walking towards them. Ahhh. D: Sorry L: There was a bump D: Where are we? (Rustling sounds) L: Woah, higher grass L: Woah (giggles) D: What do you feel? L: High, uh these are high plants
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(Rustling quiets) L: Is there a step, can someone tell me, are we going underneath something? D: No L: The light is weird here. Feels like theres dark on top. D: Stand here L: Why are you putting me inside the bush? (Laughter) L: Then? G: Can you feel around (Rustling) L: A tree? Branch? G: Okay you’re good. L: The grass is dry D: The grass below L: I feel it D: Where are you now? L: High dry grass. High things. Like grass but its dry. D: Yup L: Okay. D: How’s the temperature now?? L: Its nice. (Wind blows) L: Its really crazy because I lose a lot of balance without the sight. D: Mhm L: I mean here is a small bump but its super hard to... D: What else can you hear? L: The cars. And now the cars are here. We came from here no? T: Mhm! L: I think. Now the cars are here. I can hear the wind in the leaves. There’s leaves? D: Mhm L: Sounds like leaves. And the trees. And birds! If there are birds, there are trees. But it’s only here, eh, there’s nothing on the left. D: Mhm L: Mmm. That’s it. And there’s construction work here. D: Can you feel where the sun is from? L: Here. T: Hm G: Do you have any preference for you wanna go? L: Me? Like on which one would be more comfortable? G: Out of curiousity. L: I mean then it’s a very sensory, touch curiosity. And I don’t know the area. Maybe is there like a.. could we get more inside the trees. I dunno is there a small forest? We can go if you want. (Spends time guiding Louise) D: Okay give me your left hand. Okay. L: Heheh you’re pulling me off the floor!
Associating the site with what she’s seen before
D: haha L: Oh my god these things are really high. I feel like in gladiator, the first scene of gladiator, like in the fields. Maybe we shouldn’t… D: Is it warm now? L: Yeah the sun is here now, but I can also feel it.
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(Walks) L: Oh my god! Oh my god! There’s so many holes now. You’re higher than me now right? D: I was L: Okay now its more flat. Huh what happened? D: Here you have to be slightly careful. L: Ahh! D: Careful. Wait I’ll tell you how to do your next right step. Yeah, Left, yeah there. Right. Yeah. L: Yeah but lower your hand! D: Yeah. Oh wait okay. Don’t go to your right anymore. L: Aaaah! Or to the left. D: Yeah. Waitt wait Ill tell you. Now put your right foot forward. No straight ahead. Nonono. Put your left foot slightly in front. No no no. Slightly in front. Yes. Okay. Nonono. Yes. L: Am I on top of a huge hole or something. D: Yeah, you’re next to something. D: To your left. Yes. Keep to your left (Birds chirping) L: Now its high again T: Maybe I think its better that she crosses your arm. You raise her arm so high. (Rustling of grass) L: Oh what is this. Oh I thought it was gaby but it’s a tree D: Now you have to move to your right. L: Ah im sorry (laughter) D: Youre fine. Nono, you’re fine. T: I think its easy to lose balance when you cant see. D: Yeah, yeah of course L: Let me out of here! G: My hand is here, here. D: Piut your, yeah G: Okay so you take one big step up with your left. D: Yup yup G: Yes there you go, okay now we’re on solid ground L: Oh my god I don’t feel like we’re on solid ground. D: Now you’re fine L: But wait if you go on the left that means youre gonna fall off. Solid ground my ass! Oh sorry. (Wind blows) (Fixes blindfold) L: Okay, I don’t need the gloves.
Engages her sense of touch as much as she can
D: You don’t need it? L: No, already I cant see anything, So I cant feel your hands, it’s even harder. D: Interesting. L: The most minor bump, here it was a bit up and down, is super surprising. But I think if you have the cane, I think you can anticipate it. D: Yeap. L: Oh! There’s a bike. D: Walk to your right a bit. Where is the sun now?
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L: Here. Right? Oh the left a bit. L: Oh now we’re in between hard and not hard ground, no? It doesn’t smell really good here. D: Ah really? What do you smell? L: Smells like, eh, you know. I don’t wanna say it. I dunno, it smells like people walk their dogs here. D: What do you think is on your right? (Wind blows) L: Trees. I can hear the birds. And also because we were on the right before and we turned. And your house is behind, no? Right? G & D: Mhm
Exaggerated perception of her surroundings: sounds of bicycles and children
(Wind blows stronger) L: Oh, its windy here. Its more open? G: Yes (Strong winds, Gravel sounds, Walking for a minute in silence) L: I feel like a bike is gonna come! D: Haha yeah (Bike sounds comes and goes) L: And babies! L: Oh my god, I hear things left and right, everywhere! T: Do you think you can walk without David? L: Ahh, I mean, I don’t know. I mean. The thing is. No. I would end up walking into something. Or maybe, my feet, I can touch the floor. This floor is much better to walk on. I mean, I can walk a bit faster. D: Yeah (Footsteps coming and going)
The first and only time in the entire walk that Louise feels empowered thanks to a sound that she can recognise
(Walk in silence) L: This floor is nice! What is it? Rocks? Sand? Or something. It’s nice to walk on. L: Ah, there’s music, nice. Let’s walk towards the music. D: Huh? (Winds continue to blow) D: Oh where are you walking towards? (16.15 Music plays) D: Oh to the music? L: Yeah. Nice. Can we stop. (Giggles and Pauses) 16:42 L: Are we higher? We are higher than we were in the grass.
Locating herself through heat and light
D: Why? L: The floor is higher or something. Because the sun, first of all theres no trees around. The sun is stronger. And the wind is stronger also. I mean, I can tell also maybe by the sound that it’s more open. (Walking sounds) 17:30 (Animal sounds in the distance)
Constantly guessing what her surroundings are
L: What is that sound? Is that an animal? Sounds like monkeys! D: (Giggles) L: What is this? It’s not kids. It must be birds, no? And still the construction work. Its there now, before it was on the right when we were walking. 18.18 L: Ah now it’s dark
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(Wind lessens) L: Are we closer to buildings? D: Nope (Car sounds) L: This is a dark crowd (18:45 Unclear)??? D: What do you think? L: This path seems large. Because since this, before, people were going on our left and on our right. Okay, now its funky again. Now its muddy or something? 19:50 L: This seems narrow because you’re walking behind! L: Sorry, Oh I thought you were someone we didn’t know. L: Oh nice, the birds. (Animal sounds) L: It doesn’t smell really nice.
Exaggerated perception of her surroundings: Sound of water
L: The floor is sticky now. Ah, you have branches here? So we’re what in the woods? There’s not much sun now. I can hear water somewhere, but I think its in your bag. G: Yes (Animal sounds louder) L: But this sound is crazy. What is this??? Maybe its birds, maybe its seagulls D: I don’t know 21:30 L: Ew! (Tulla hands it to her) That is just dry stuff. L: But the floor is not made of this. Its just muddy. It feels like this
Exaggerated perception of her surroundings: Sound of branches and sense of touch
thing that grows on the trees. A bit. Foam thing. L: Can we walk towards the sound? (Stepping on branches to break them) L: Oh this is getting dangerous, no? Thank god im putting my hand, I would have just walked into the tree. T: Its less dangerous than the one we walked before D: Can you see on the floor underneath? L: No, why? D: No, just asking L: No, but I wish! D: What are you walking on now? What do you think? L: I think its still soft, its still muddy but theres grass or something no? And theres branches. D: Mhm L: Here, there’s a branch. Wait, so there was a tree before, so we’re underneath the trees or something? What is this? A branch (Breaking branches) L: I feel there’s something there. G: Louise are you leading or is David leading L: Haha why? G: Are you depending on him or? L: We’re depending on each other. Oh, what is this? G: are you following the sounds or? L: No I think hes leading! L: Now it feels just like forest floor, there’s no wind now so there must be something around. Oh. Now its going down 24:19 D: Yeah, no, don’t. Walk to your right. L: Here?
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D: Yeah L: Oh, now its mud again L: Now you can barely hear the cars. Its nice. Its much more calm. Much further, or something. (Walks) L: Now we’re going back? We went like this? Or something?
Is lost when she is unable to locate herself
D: I don’t know. L: Is in front of us Tulla and Gaby’s house? Towards here I mean. D: No. L: Not at all? Okay now I’m lost then. L: Should I go with you? D: Yeah L: Oh now theres sun! Here! D: Yeah L: Nice 25:51 G: All right Louise! There are steps. We’re going down. L: Where? G: In front of you, slowly. D: Okay, one step at a time. Yeah. L: Ah its not high, oh f*** D: One step at a time.
Locating herself at a small scale through stair edges
L: Ah they’re not long. Okay. Its fine. Okay, I got this. It just the rhythm. Because its coming out and you know where to put your feet. Actually this thing helps because you know where to put your feet. You can feel the edge. L: oh there was no edge here. Yeah the edge helps a LOT. G: Okay, that’s it! We’re good 26.30 L: Oh, oooh, what’s this? (Steps on floor) L: Feels like the thing that you walk when youre close to the sea. you have that’s close to the sea. D: What do you think it is? 26:50 Stomps on ground L: Ah its wood! Its this wood floors, no? Outside. But is it empty underneath. Yeah I can feel this. L: Now its not wood floors 27:00 G & T: We haven’t been here before. But lets just go anyway. We’ve never been here but I think its fine. L: Im up for it G: are you feeling a lot more comfortable now? L: I think I feel… T: I think its also because of David, no? L: No, I think its because the first thing in the grass where you brought me, there was a lot of holes and long herbs so it was really hard to understand… L: There’s sun and trees around? On the left. (Rustling sounds, animal sounds getting louder, winds blowing stronger) L: What are these? Leaves? There’s leaves here? So there’s trees! T: You can try to use this stick. L: Oh okay, L: Oh so there’s a path D: Careful here, just make small steps. Yeah.
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Exaggerated perception of her surroundings: sound of walking on grass
L: Now I can see the light scattered, super scattered. L: But gaby are you far? Because I can hear you walking on grass, because I’m not. G: 3-2 meters. 28:02 L: woah woah. D: Do you feel like youre walking straight or? L: No, I feel like you just derouted me. But I mean I trust you. No? (Laughter) L: We were going there and now youre bringing me left, because of the sun I think. (rustling sounds) L: But its crazy because of the sound, I can really tell. The sun and the birds. But I don’t understand, so now there’s trees on each side? L: Theres a police car somewhere. L: ahhh! What is this? D: Its just a branch. L: I had the reflex to look down but I cant see anything. D: Does the sound give you a point of reference?
Is lost when she is unable to locate herself
L: Yeap. A lot. L: But now the point of reference but makes me feel like their house is somewhere there, but youre saying no. D: Yeah, but its just behind. L: Yeah, okay. 30:00 (Pause) (Animal sounds get louder) L: Is this is a rock? What is that sound??? T: I don’t know, I cannot see it. D: Try moving forward here. L: Fast? D: No L: There are no trees? D: What are you stepping on? L: Long herbs again. Theres nothing. D: Oh not there, that’s poop. L: Ahhh now im detached from the group and I don’t know where to go! Ahhh. What was this, a tree? D: Right now, how many people are next to you? (Laughs) L: Gaby? Gaby’s here. (Points at tulla) The sounds of the leaves. (Continues Walking 32:00) (Wind blows loud, helicopter sounds) L: Theres a helicopter! D: Mhm (Unclear) T: A lot of sound information. L: Yeah it really helps T: and the light and the heat? From the light. L: I mean I can feel the heat even through. I don’t know if I can feel it also because D: You can feel the different scenarios?
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L: (33:12 Unclear) T: Where are we? G: Yeah where are we? L: The sound and everything. L: I don’t feel the trees. L: I dnt know but its really windy D: What do you feel? L: Yeah but I feel like it has changed. But I don’t feel that there is changed. Also the sound is really open. T: Tonnes of birds there L: Yeah… Do I walk straight? I don’t understand if I’m walking straight. D: Why not? L: No, because it also depends on you, you know? Sometimes I feel like I’m zig zagging but I don’t know if it’s because IM zigzagging. L: What is this floor? D: But do you feel more disoriented walking like this? L: What do you mean? Disoriented? D: Are you fine? L: When I’m walking like what? D: Do you feel the difference between now and where you were walking before? L: I think its because im walking with you so I feel that im not walking straight. Also youre leading me instead of if I had a cane, for example. G: Okay so in front of you is very clear and safe. Do you think you could walk maybe 10 steps on your own? Yeah. (Walks) 36:00 G: Try walking straight L: Maybe we can get a branch G: Aaand stop. D: Why don’t you gague yourself. G: Step back D: Can you follow the floor? G: Yeah use the floor D: Don’t step forward, step back, move to your right. G: The stick’s not helpful? L: No G: Mm. What are you depending on to walk straight? L: I’m just using the floor. L: Leaves, leaves are on the right. (Animal sounds in the background) L: Oh theres rocks here. Are there a lot of rocks? Where are you bringing me… T: Oh its really nice L: What the hell is this game now? I now I feel really confident. G: You feel really confident? L: Not anymore now after what you just told me! G: Keep walking, keep walking, ah where are we now? T: Can you feel the differences? G: Keep walking straight, try to find an open path. L: This is not the same floor D: Can you try to find the path?
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L: The path is right here right? D: Careful, careful L: This is the path. D T G: Okay, yeap L: So people came from here so it goes… G & T: Yeah L: Okay so we need to turn T: Okay David hold her hand L: Oh my god there’s a bike somewhere T: Actually the blind lady when she was walking in the botanical garden she’s always really to close to her assistant. She can’t walk it by herself. And you have to hold it quite close. Almost like one person. 39:00 T: do you feel curious about the environment here? L: (39:00-40:30 wind was so strong, not really clear) Yes but you need to walk, bumping and rock When there are trees you can feel the wind is less, the sound of the city? It seems far. The sun is higher? T: keep yourself safe will distract you from exploring the place? L: If I leave the path I will end up lost(disoriented), it was a bit delicate to get out from the main road T: sound of bikes or people? L: it is a bit scary actually. Because they can see me but I cannot see them. I have to keep myself to walking straight, so I don’t surprise them T: do you think if you have one path is continuously the same, you will confident to walk on it? L: But also because if it is always the same direct you somewhere, if you change it, I got clogged somewhere 43:10-43:18 (Unclear) I understand which kind of floor related to… 43:30-44:42 (Wind) G: boring walking on the path? L: cannot hear clearly 44:51-44:58, Ground surface G: (in the parking lot) about five times larger. L: What? (46:03-46:33 wind) T: you can feel the sun depending on the light or heat? L: I can feel the heat on my head G: (wind too strong 46:56) L: now is really far from the birds. I can feel where they are, it is really nice actually, I am sure there are a lot of them but I cannot see. L: I feel anxious when there is a lot of information (49:15 clear) I can feel the ups and downs a lot.
Exaggerated perception of her surroundings: touch of still branches
(49:56-50:56 Unclear) L: (going in the big tree) It is a huge tree Is it a big tree, It is two trees , do I need to go on top of it Do I need to go somewhere? I feel like the trees are jumping on me. G: where do you think we are
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L: what is that, omg
Uncomfortable because she has to rely on others
Slippery. I feel really assisted right now I am not independent which is not nice... (Animal sounds) Oh god we are back here? Ups become you bump into it, you need to be super conscious, and downs it beats(not sure about this word) you super quick (55:58) like you go down a stairs and you miss the last one. Or you think there is one more stair. G: do you feel dragged? L: a bit laborious. (58:05 Unclear) L: (hearing the drones) Oh my god, I feel like they will fly into my hair T: I got lost L: you got lost imagine me totally being alone hah L: did we go a little bit up to end up on this path? Because I can fall on the edges. I feel like if I go too close there is like a abrupt D: Now? L: now less. L: it smells like grass, D: what do you smell? L:64:22 cannot hear D:do you think you have more presence of mind you are walking on the L: in the sense that towards to the environment? Yeah of course. D: also for more the .. I didn’t even telling you L: 56:58 cannot hear I have no way to anticipate 66:56 cannot hear L: this place is huge because I can hear a very far sound I prefer waking in the open space Too close there is too many information
Still water and the beauty of the lake is indiscernible, so is the beauty of the lake.
G: this one has a lot uphill Do you like the floor L: yes the floor is dried What is this? the branches We are closer to the street? Gone beyond the path. The drones are very far It is a bit isolated. There are ducks in the street? Breeze, some birds trees are lower here. D: it is interesting G&T: What if we tell you it is a lake L: it is a lake? No wayyyy
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