Sounds of a Pizzeria: Analyzing Pandemic Soundscapes Through Ethnographic Conceptualism

Abstract

For this project, I conducted research on a busy street corner in Sunnyside, Queens. My goal was to figure out how the soundscape of this location had changed since the COVID-19 pandemic, and consequently what insight that could give to the status of the community of Sunnyside. I composed a piece of concrete music using recordings taken at my field site, and gained further insight into this topic by positioning it as a piece of ethnographic conceptualism. By leaning into the inherent subjectivity of ethnography, I was able to come to conclusions on the roles of radio, wind, and other elements in this soundscape. I address critiques of the avant-garde, and what the role of ethnography is in justifying the subjective. I discuss how these soundscapes can contribute to themselves generatively, as they are not static. Finally, I analyze my own work to gain broader insight on the aspects of the unknown that I chose to highlight. I come to the conclusion that solid community structures breed healthy communities and people, and posit that reinvestigating the way that we interact with people is a key component of making a better world post-pandemic.