I Hear My Time

By Darren Copeland
Date: 2001. Length: 8'

I Hear My Time is an autobiographical soundscape piece for radio. It allows the listener into a way of life that was once familiar to me. Connections between listener and artist are often strengthened when very personal information is shared, even when the exchange is about very banal and everyday matters. The piece inwardly portrays the experience of time and the subtle nuances of sound as they are apparent to me when I lived alone in a small basement apartment. The piece is based on a short poem that is heard in its entirety at the end of the piece. Prior to that single words from the poem are sprinkled around like random thoughts triggered by objects scattered around the small apartment. All of the sounds in the piece are recorded from the middle of the apartment with the living room on the left and the kitchen and bathroom on the right. This perspective stays the same throughout the piece. The piece was created in 2001 for the WBEZ-FM program “Chicago Matters”.

I live alone in my home
My home, quiet and sparse
Small in size, intimate -

I live with a drone in my home
The drone, unconscious and hushed
Small in presence, alone -

My home, quiet and hushed
Small in size, intimate -

I hear my time
when alone
with the drone
in my home