Sense of Place in Sound

Molly Zimmer

Muley Point

September 8, 2016

The sense of a place you get from spending time in one location begins to reveal itself as a gesture: sound, touch, smell, and movement create your experience that lasts long after you leave.

At Muley Point, the ancient sand dunes are formed through the effects of water eroding, collecting in tinajas; creating unique densities in each rock. When these stones fall or become separated from the cliff edge in the expansion of freezing and thawing, they create a distinct sound. It echoes in the naturally occurring amphitheater acoustics, and breaks apart upon impact, or continues to tumble down impervious to the stones it contacts.

Stones became what I saw as the gesture of Muley Point, UT. Color, density, sound, and movement of each one prompted me to make a video demonstrating this process.