Artists in Mexico City are trying to preserve the capital city's rich soundscape

Artists in Mexico City are trying to preserve the capital city's rich soundscape

　　Transcript¹

　　In Mexico City, some artists are building projects and public spaces specially² designed to listen, learn and enjoy. (This story originally aired on Here and Now on July 1, 2019.)

　　A MARTINEZ, HOST:

　　In Mexico City, artists work to preserve the city's rich soundscape by building projects in public spaces designed for people to listen. Here's an encore KJZZ report from 2019 with Rodrigo Cervantes.

　　(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED NPR BROADCAST)

　　UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: (Speaking Spanish).

　　RODRIGO CERVANTES: Just a few steps away from rowdy street vendors³ in downtown Mexico City sits an old, tilted⁴ church. And as you walk in...

　　(SOUNDBITE OF CHIMES SOUNDING)

　　CERVANTES: ...The urban noises are replaced by soundscapes.

　　TITO RIVAS: We are a museum, but at the same time, we are a space for live and performing art.

　　CERVANTES: That's Tito Rivas, director of Ex Teresa Arte Actual, a space which focuses on sound experimentation⁵. He says sound art is becoming more and more popular in Mexico City.

　　RIVAS: There is some listening thirst in the public.

　　CERVANTES: As a sound artist himself, Rivas has been influenced by the city's sounds and tragedies. And one of his pieces is called "Silence," a tribute to Mexico City's 2017 earthquake.

　　(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING⁶)

　　UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: (Speaking Spanish).

　　(SOUNDBITE OF WHISTLE)

　　UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #3: (Speaking Spanish).

　　UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #4: (Speaking Spanish).

　　CERVANTES: It's an audio collage⁷ made from his recorded experience trying to rescue victims buried under the debris⁸.

　　RIVAS: For example, the screamings of the people working to try to find someone are completely emotional.

　　(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

　　UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #5: (Speaking Spanish).

　　CERVANTES: Rivas says Mexico City's combination of contemporary and ancient sounds provide a unique experience to create pieces and spaces.

　　JESUS PACHECO: (Speaking Spanish).

　　CERVANTES: Jesus Pacheco calls himself a cultural agent promoting sound art in Mexico City. He recruits audio artists and underground techno musicians to create unique recordings⁹ and experiences. Hear artist Baby Bruise's take on a work from avant-garde artist Thomas Glassford.

　　(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

　　CERVANTES: And in the city's south, at the National Sound Library of Mexico, thousands of recordings can be heard, many with historical value.

　　(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

　　JACKIE KENNEDY: (Speaking Spanish).

　　(APPLAUSE)

　　CERVANTES: That's Jackie Kennedy, who visited Mexico City with her husband, President John F. Kennedy, in 1962. Pavel Granados is the library director.

　　PAVEL GRANADOS: (Speaking Spanish).

　　CERVANTES: Granados says we tend to think that the sounds of the city are eternal, but they're not. And so they archive them, from street noise and oral traditions to radio shows and music recordings. The institution recently found what's possibly the only recording of artist Frida Kahlo...

　　(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

　　FRIDA KAHLO: (Speaking Spanish).

　　CERVANTES: ...And also has Mexico's first recording from the late 1800s - Indigenous¹⁰ Huichol chants.

　　(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

　　UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #6: (Non-English language spoken).

　　GRANADOS: (Speaking Spanish).

　　CERVANTES: Granados says that Mexico and the U.S. are intertwined in many ways, regardless of the border. And sounds prove it, like an American crooner singing "La Mentira," a Mexican bolero, in English.

　　(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "YELLOW DAYS")

　　FRANK SINATRA: (Singing) I do remember when the sunlight had a special kind of brightness, and the laughter held a lover's kind of lightness. Yellow days, yellow days.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 specially   

adv.特定地；特殊地；明确地

参考例句：

• They are specially packaged so that they stack easily.它们经过特别包装以便于堆放。
• The machine was designed specially for demolishing old buildings.这种机器是专为拆毁旧楼房而设计的。

3 vendors   

n.摊贩( vendor的名词复数 )；小贩；（房屋等的）卖主；卖方

参考例句：

• The vendors were gazundered at the last minute. 卖主在最后一刻被要求降低房价。
• At the same time, interface standards also benefIt'software vendors. 同时，界面标准也有利于软件开发商。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

4 tilted   

v. 倾斜的

参考例句：

• Suddenly the boat tilted to one side. 小船突然倾向一侧。
• She tilted her chin at him defiantly. 她向他翘起下巴表示挑衅。

5 experimentation   

n.实验，试验，实验法

参考例句：

• Many people object to experimentation on animals.许多人反对用动物做实验。
• Study and analysis are likely to be far cheaper than experimentation.研究和分析的费用可能要比实验少得多。

6 recording   

n.录音，记录

参考例句：

• How long will the recording of the song take?录下这首歌得花多少时间？
• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。

7 collage   

n.拼贴画；v.拼贴；把……创作成拼贴画

参考例句：

• A collage of coloured paper covers a table top.一副彩纸拼贴画盖在桌面上。
• He has used a mixture of mosaic,collage and felt-tip pen.他混合使用了马赛克、拼贴画和毡头笔。

8 debris   

n.瓦砾堆，废墟，碎片

参考例句：

• After the bombing there was a lot of debris everywhere.轰炸之后到处瓦砾成堆。
• Bacteria sticks to food debris in the teeth,causing decay.细菌附着在牙缝中的食物残渣上，导致蛀牙。

9 recordings   

n.记录( recording的名词复数 )；录音；录像；唱片

参考例句：

• a boxed set of original recordings 一套盒装原声录音带
• old jazz recordings reissued on CD 以激光唱片重新发行的老爵士乐

10 indigenous   

adj.土产的，土生土长的，本地的

参考例句：

• Each country has its own indigenous cultural tradition.每个国家都有自己本土的文化传统。
• Indians were the indigenous inhabitants of America.印第安人是美洲的土著居民。