Breathing Room

Breathing Room

Duration: 6:30

Instrumentation: Alto Flute, Fixed Electronics

Technical Specifications: 7.1 Multichannel Dolby ATMOS

Year: 2022

Performer: Sara Constant

Mixed by: Yu Tsz Long

Scored for alto flute and fixed electronics, Breathing Room is a sonic collage comprised of recorded sounds I made of the environment around me over the past seven years living in Toronto, Ontario.

Throughout these seven years, the sounds of my city have changed drastically. In 2020, the global pandemic disrupted the the sonic landscape, with much of the vibrancy and life being leeched from the city's character as we all retreated into our homes.

These seven years have also seen the gradual erosion of the Greenbelt in Southern Ontario, as our provincial government continues to open it up for development. This degradation of our urban forests, ravines, and surrounding green space additionally alters its sonic characteristics, with the acoustic ecology being damaged as species and habitats are destroyed in the name of much needed housing. All of the movements are sonic snapshots in time, echoes of already faded memories — here presented for posterity.