part_one.mp3

I go shopping in an American shopping mall during the Christmas season. I enter the mall through one of the four "anchor" store entrances. There are footsteps- not mine. Chatter. Wrapping. More chatter. A very quiet "excuse me" as I cross paths with another shopper. A Salvation Army bell. The soundscape opens up at 2:00 as I enter the mall proper. Old timers sit on benches chatting.

A roving salesgirl from a kiosk stops me and asks about my funny looking hat (it's got a microphone stuck on it). Geeks get all the girls! I move into the central courtyard, a large round room with a high ceiling. I turn up a quieter side mall.

Monophonic ambiance- stereo would be completely overpowering. Made using a cheap computer grade microphone stuck on the front of my cap and a MicroTrack digital recorder. Part one of three.