The Noise of Toronto

Inspired by the first Noise Project prompt, I've been listening to the sounds of Toronto, trying to decide if they constitute noise, and thinking about what noise means to me. I 've been considering dropping out of the project because all of a sudden it hit me that noise is a pejorative and I don't want to clutter my creative process with negativity. If I turn it around and think of it as unorganized sound it becomes much more appealing as a subject.

Toronto can be very grey this time of year and the sounds have the same dull and continuous roar that I associate with that colour. It also has a tremendously vibrant and varied ethnic population and many of the spoken words that stick out of this aural landscape are in languages I don't speak or understand. 

I searched Google Translate for how to write Toronto in different languages and fonts. Writing them multiple times on one page produced this beautiful image:

டொராண்டோடொராண்டோடொராண்டோடொராண்டோடொராண்டோடொராண்டோடொராண்டோடெ
トロントトロントトロントトロントトロントトロントトロントトロントトロントトロ
多伦多多伦多多伦多多伦多多伦多多伦多多伦多多伦多多伦多多伦多多伦多多伦多多伦
تورونتوورونتوورونتوورونتوورونتوورونتوورونتوورونتوورونتوورونتوورونتوورونتوورونتوورونتوورونتوورونتوورونت
ТаронтаТаронтаТаронтаТаронтаТаронтаТаронтаТаронтаТаронтаТаронтаТаронта
टोरंटोटोरंटोटोरंटोटोरंटोटोरंटोटोरंटोटोरंटोटोरंटोटोरंटोटोरंटोटोरंटोटोरंटोटोरंटोटोरंटोटोरंटोटोरंटोटोरंटोटो
تورنتوتورنتوتورنتوتورنتوتورنتوتورنتوتورنتوتورنتوتورنتوتورنتوتورنتوتورنتوتورنتوتورنتوتورنتوتورنتوتورنتوتورنتوتورنت
โตรอนโตโตรอนโตโตรอนโตโตรอนโตโตรอนโตโตรอนโตโตรอนโตโตรอนโตโตรอนโตโตรอนโตโ
ٹورنٹوٹورنٹوٹورنٹوٹورنٹوٹورنٹوٹورنٹوٹورنٹوٹورنٹوٹورنٹوٹورنٹوٹورنٹوٹورنٹوٹو
טאָראָנטאָטאָראָנטאָטאָראָנטאָטאָראָנטאָטאָראָנטאָטאָראָנטאָטאָראָנטאָטאָראָנטאָ
טורונטוטורונטוטורונטוטורונטוטורונטוטורונטוטורונטוטורונטוטורונטוטורונטוטורונטוטורונטוטורונטוטור

I was going to do an image transfer into my book but our printer is out of ink (as usual). I used a pigma micron pen to copy each language into my journal and then began writing over and over each word trying to replicate the feeling of hearing something sort of familiar over and over again but never quite catching the meaning. 

The characters of the different languages are so enchanting. They make me long to understand how the shape is made, how the meaning is conveyed, how they translate to spoken word.

This would have been a base layer underneath a grey watercolor wash but I'm kind of loving how it looks all on its own.

Please join me in taking a look at what some of the other Noise Intercepted participants have been working on.