THE WALKS is a series of soundwalks that take listeners on an audio experience in non-places.
SOUNDWALK in THE WALKS is interpreted as a solo experience directed by an invisible friend through earphones. The sound guides listeners on a walking exploration of non-places.
NON-PLACES is a term introduced by French anthropologist Marc Augé. In these places, people remain anonymous, engage minimally, and focus on efficiency rather than meaningful experiences or personal connections. Airports, subways, supermarkets, and parking lots are all examples of non-places.
I personally love being in non-places alone. I find a strange comfort in staying anonymous, enjoying moments of solitude, and being free from the expectation to engage with others. This gives me the same feeling as sitting in a dark theater like an audience. Watching and observing people in different non-places is like an immersive play depicting mundane city life. I find fun, relaxation, and sometimes inspiration within non-places. In some sense, non-places are not non-places anymore. They are places for me.
HOW CAN I CREATE A GATEWAY FOR OTHERS TO FEEL THE SAME?
HOW CAN I MAYBE TRANSFORM NON-PLACES INTO PLACES FOR OTHERS?
Soundwalks came to mind because of their immense immersiveness and the directional quality that guides the way. In THE WALKS, the soundwalk audio experiences intentionally mimic the tone of a podcast. The audio is filled with personal memories, calls to action, intriguing questions to direct observation, and soundscapes to make the whole experience engaging and fun to listen to. The series consists of three durations: 60, 16, and 6 minutes.