Audio Art Project
“Shut Up!” by Emma & Abby D.
In our project, Abby and I were inspired by a very popular YouTube video, “10 Hours of Walking in NYC as a Woman,” which has earned 52 million views. The video features a woman walking around New York with a camera, getting verbally harassed by the men she passes. It was posted 11 years ago, yet it remains highly relevant today. We wanted to use the catcalling from the video because it felt authentic and raw. This inspired us to place the audio in her mind, dissociating and blocking out the sounds, while she heard her heartbeat and breathing.
We used the BBC Sound Effects clip “Spotted Hyaena (Crocuta Crocuta) – Laughing” to evoke the idea that men’s sexual harassment is often described as animalistic. The hyenas’ harsh laughter mirrors the men’s mocking presence, growing louder and more intrusive until it clouds her thoughts.
Next, we added a YouTube audio clip titled “Breaking Bad – Shut Up! Shut Up! Shut Up! Scene (S5E3)”, in which a woman is yelling profusely. It perfectly captured how we wanted the piece to end: her mind is desperately pleading for the men to stop, yet she remains unable to voice her fear, trapped within her own thoughts. Overall, through this overwhelming soundscape, we aimed to immerse the audience in her fear and anxiety, revealing how harassment follows women everywhere, even in their own minds.
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