Duck in London
While the Duck in Shanghai is a photography book that invites viewers to explore the city through visual storytelling, the Duck in London is an exploration through sound.
2024
Compact Disc (CD)
with a 16 pages bilingual booklet
64 min 04 sec
12 x 8 cm
Compact Disc (CD)
with a 16 pages bilingual booklet
64 min 04 sec
12 x 8 cm
The architecture and cityscape of London remain largely unchanged, but its soundscape is constantly evolving and incredibly rich. London is truly a melting pot of diverse immigrant communities. On the streets, you hear the voices of people from various ethnic and cultural backgrounds navigating the bustling city—languages, accents, dialects, and tones blending together to form a distinctly London soundscape.
In this audio track, you’ll hear the most ordinary and familiar sounds of London: the rumble of train tracks, car horns, bike bells, laughter from pubs and cafés, chime of church bells, pigeons cooing, and the gentle splash of water against the riverbank. There’s also the sound of my footsteps or the passing dogs—their hurried breaths, the rustle of their leads, and their footsteps often announcing their presence before their owners come into view. As I walk over different surfaces—grass, concrete, or stone pavements—each step resonates with a distinct rhythm. These subtle sounds, often hidden in plain sight, are impossible to see but can be uncovered through careful listening. As we listen to a sound, meaning begins to emerge from it.
声音是城市中一种很难被轻易定位的存在。在伦敦这个多元移民汇聚的城市，声音的表现形式也极其丰富。在任何一处街角，你都会听到来自不同种族、文化背景的人的声音，语言、语调、方言和口音交织在一起，形成伦敦特有的声响环境。
在这些音轨里，你会听到最为寻常却又经典的伦敦声音景观：火车驶过铁轨的轰鸣、汽车鸣笛与脚踏车铃声、酒吧与咖啡馆里的欢声笑语、教堂钟声、头顶传来的鸽子叫，以及水流拍打堤岸的轻柔声音。当然，也有我的脚步声，或是过路小狗—急促的喘息和牵引绳轻微的摩擦声。声音总是比它的主人先一步提醒你它的存在。我踩在不同的地面材质上，草地、水泥地，或是古老的石板路上，每一步都穿越着时间，发出独特的回响。这些细碎的线索隐藏在城市的角落里，日常行走时无法用眼睛捕捉，只能通过聆听来发现。
当我们聆听声音，意义便开始从中生成。
©2025 Manyi Chan