Question #5: “What noises in your home/neighborhood or work environment create physical or emotional discomfort for you or a family member?”
Want to participate in our newest PhotoVoice campaign?
Our Goals:
- To create authentic discussion of the issues surrounding noise pollution and its effect on people and wildlife in vulnerable, underserved communities.
- To increase understanding of the experiences with and impact of noise pollution for the participating communities and science.
- To gather community perspectives and understanding to inform a co-created app and national community science project.
How to join the PhotoVoice research:
- Think about the question: What noises in your home/neighborhood or work environment create physical or emotional discomfort for you or a family member?
- Answer the question visually by taking a picture. Add a caption to each picture and upload it here or copy and paste the following url: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/photovoiceQ5
- There are no right ways of doing this. It is deeply personal. You answer the question in the way that is right for YOU! You do not need to be a photographer or answer the question literally.
- If you are taking pictures of people, please let them know that the photo is being used by the Community Perspectives Noise Pollution Researchers and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology for research and educational purposes. The photos will be displayed on the noiseproject.org website and may be used in community shows, and educational material (print and online).
- It’s important that you ask people being photographed to fill out a ‘Noise Pollution PhotoVoice Release.’
- Be thoughtful and ethical about taking pictures. Ensure and respect people’s privacy and don’t put them or yourself in danger!
Take a look at the answers to the previous question: When our community thinks of silence, these are the images that come to their minds
Nostalgia de los lagos cubanos... éste es el Lago Otisco en Central New York... pero me trae recuerdo de mucha tranquilidad y paz mental... un lugar mágico para poner nuestra mente en descanso del CONSTANTE ruidoso ambiente del trabajo diario.
"Serene pearls of morning dew." Encinitas, CA
"Hotel en la Selva".
El bohío en el.campo... Nostalgia Cubana de niño... lugar donde descansar sin electricidad... no radios, no sonidos de teléfono etc... solo paz y sentido de viento, ave y lluvia.
El agua tranquila del lago... lugar para meditar y pensar en futuros proyectos.
La Hamaca. Nostalgia de los recesos escolares en Cuba... para descansar y tomar tiempo.
"Quietude of Dawn". Borobudur, Java.
"La noche".
"Un humedal".
"Un sendero en la selva".
"While I live in the heart of the city, my parents live on a berry farm in the country. While there are sounds on the farm, being there takes me away from all of the noise and feels like silence. I am able to relax and enjoy the sounds of the birds, the wind in the trees, and the frogs singing at night."
El campo... un lugar tranquilo donde escapar a meditar.
"Cosmic Peace". Julian, CA.
"Nubes de Baja California".
"Fair Haven sunset announcing the night".
"Recamara de mi casa".
"I was thinking about the photovoice and what kind of photo would represent me. I know I can take a bunch of photos that surround trees, water, etc. However, when I really put thought into this photovoice project, the one that came to mind is writing. For my photovoice image, I'm using a photo I took a few years ago when I was doing a photoshoot for my first poetry collection. I wanted to use this image to show one of the ways I reduce noise."
Nostalgia de los lagos cubanos... éste es el Lago Otisco en Central New York... pero me trae recuerdo de mucha tranquilidad y paz mental... un lugar mágico para poner nuestra mente en descanso del CONSTANTE ruidoso ambiente del trabajo diario.
"Quite Quiet Sapsucker Walk".
"Equanimity". Borobudur, Java.
"The Silent Dragon". Elfin Forest, CA.
"Floating". "I don't think complete silence is ever possible. My favorite kind of silence though is when I feel almost transcendent of the moment. Every sound is in such rhythm with each other that it all flows together, but you still hear it somehow. I get that feeling the most when I'm floating in water, listening to the water lap my ears, the sound of my own breathing, wind whipping through trees. Everything is muted but fluid."
I think of silence as a lack of noise, which allows me to hear other sounds more clearly. In the photo below, taken in Orkney Springs, VA, my daughter, nieces, and I experienced such a profound lack of street and airplane noise that it amplified the sounds of nature. The frogs, crickets, birds, and little girl squeals made up the background noise. We tried to hear the worms but were unsuccessful.
One of the images that come to mind when I think of silence is the joy of a quiet Sunday morning in my pj's facing the trees and birds from my third floor balcony.
Near 118 feel above the ground, above vegetation... below the sky...
Silence... I think of the calm before the storm...
After the flash thunderstorm... everyone left... no more voices, no sound of rain or thunder, but only mirrored stillness...
"Mind Over Issues: Silence is a platform for thinking about the unthinkable which leads to innovative thoughts."
"I can only find real silence in my head when I find flow."
"I can only find real silence in my head when I find flow."
"I can only find real silence in my head when I find flow."
"When I think of Silence."
"Alone with nature."
Cactus at dusk - Old Town San Diego, Late August.
Few places are more silent than a dessert, where the noble cactus stands as an even more silent guard.
December at sea - Pier in La Jolla, early December
Looking out at the sea can help you reflect on life, especially when life is sleeping
Moon over Man - National City, mid September
Society can be chaotic and loud but sometimes, all we need is to raise our eyes, block out the world, and dream.