Heartree: Soundscapes & Sound Design (Studio 3 / Professional Preproduction - Week 6)

Reached out in Week 5 to sound designer Israel Carter on possibly collaborating on Heartree. Even though Israel has graduted from RMIT already, he attended the MAGI EXPO 2019 last year, saw my work, and exchanged contact details as he was keen on collaborating on future projects. I had a listen to Israel's past work, and thought he was a great fit for the project.

Sent through a sound design brief to Israel in Week 6 outlining the Playable City Brunswick project, details about Heartree and how it fits into the walking trail, how the soundscapes work (through touch), timeline, research background details and exactly what audio deliverables I need for Heartree.

Heartree will have eight (8) soundscapes in total:

• One for the base soundscape when the player touches the tree trunk, called The Land Before, which is a melodic piece inspired by the overal landscape and Indigenous history of Brunswick
   
• The other six for the hanging threads from the branches of the tree (non-melodic):
  • Hunting - as Brunswick used to the hunting ground for the Aboriginal clans
  • Creeks - to pay tribute to Merri and Moonee Ponds Creeks in Brunswick
  • Fire & Rebirth - to signify the controlled burning of the land and the subsequent rebirth of wildflowers
  • Birdsong - native birdsong and bird calls of Brunswick
  • Flooding - to highlight the frequent flooding of the Brunswick plains
  • Winds - to pay tribute to Brunswick's natural state which is often referred to as "a very windy country"
     
• One very subtle, ambient track for when the tree isn’t touched (to get the player’s attention), called Tree Whispers

I will be working with Israel really closely over the next few weeks on giving weekly feedback on the soundscapes, refining them, etc.

I will also try and get in contact with the Ngarara Willim Centre to consult about the soundscapes that deal with Indigenous history (The Land Before and Hunting).