Listening to Los Angeles

Los Angeles is a noisy place. But have you ever stopped and listened to it, picking apart all the sounds that create this perpetual cacophony we call home? Right now, just sitting at my desk, I hear birds, rain (yes, glorious rain!), cars, an airplane, the distant hum of the 101, and—in a moment—church bells from down the hill.

Designer Alex Braidwood decided to listen—really listen—to LA as part of an experiment to understand the city. Wearing a delightfully Steampunk-esque recording device on his head, he ventured out with filmmaker Mae Ryan to hear what different environments from the beach to the light rail had to say. The result is this beautiful film produced by KPCC. Listen and learn.