The character of a neighborhood is defined by many factors both obvious and obtuse, from the way people approach strangers to the smells that hit you while you’re on a Sunday stroll. The sounds of a place not only help shape this character, they are also the most direct way to its soul.
Gowanus is a legendary New York neighborhood with a cacophonous character. Its sounds are sometimes harsh, sometimes sweet, often musical, and always very Brooklyn.
Percussionist Caleb Spaulding took to Gowanus with his drumsticks and mallets to capture the place from a polyrhythmic perspective. We followed along with a recorder and some mics, turning his block-by-block explorations into loops, one-shots, and block-knockers that get to the guts of Gowanus.
