‘Daylesford Naturalis: During Covid Lockdown #4‘ is a field recording project documenting the sounds of nature at different sites around Daylesford, in Dja Dja Wurrung Country, Victoria, Australia, during the 4th state-wide Covid-19 lockdown in May/June 2021.
The town of Daylesford, an old goldfields town, is known for its mineral springs, the local lake and the forest that surrounds it. While normally, a popular tourist destination, during lockdown the town went back to being the small country town that it is.
The recordings took place at 4 sites around Daylesford between May 30 and June 3, 2021.
The restrictions at the time meant there were only five reasons to leave home and also a
requirement to stay within 5 kilometres of home. One reason to leave home was to exercise
for up to two hours. This incentivised the author, a local music producer, to take short, daily
explorations of nearby natural reserves and conduct digital soundscape recordings.
Daylesford Naturalis encapsulates the life of the forest including many native birds, creeks,
and Sailor’s Falls waterfall. The nature is presented mostly undisturbed, although sometimes
there is no escaping from civilisation and occasionally you can also hear a distant rumble of
vehicle engines. Among the tranquil settings, you can also hear some more dramatic sounds,
including loud Cockatoo calls and the rumbling sound of a large branch falling off from a
very tall eucalyptus tree.
The recordings were released in January 2022 as an audio-visual album by iubar project. By then many restrictions were lifted and the album serves as a reminder of the local soundscapes from the peak of interruptions caused by Covid-19. The 52-minute-long album is accompanied by 22 photographs from the recording sessions made available on the Bandcamp platform. These photographs provide a visual perspective on the creative process and the recorded environment.
The full project is available on Bandcamp and you can hear the preview below.
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