The Accent of Coming Steps 5.1 sound piece, 14:00 min, 2024
The multi-channel sound piece The Accent of Coming Steps portrays a train station from the sonic perspective of an imagined subject, drifting between sleep and wakefulness. In this liminal state, the surrounding sounds are altered, distorted, and transformed. During the development of this piece, I recorded sounds at train stations, railways, and subways in and around Stockholm—the commuters, the announcements of arrivals and departures, the dogs, the children, the silent express trains, the heavy freight trains and the echoing tunnels. I spent extensive time in these transient environments, standing or sitting for hours with recording equipment. Over time, I began to notice not only the commuters rushing past but also those lingering by staircases, sleeping on station benches, and even in the tunnels. Everywhere, people seek shelter and refuge from authorities in the hidden, restricted infrastructures of urban spaces.