What you Hear: flipflops; “Sorry, sorry!”; Piano playing; rustle of a swab package
What you See: Covid testing site, Washington Duke Ballroom
What is captured: The lack of conversation at this testing site demonstrates an abnormality created by the pandemic in the typical patterns of socialization. Many students go in and out of the testing site, each coming approximately twice a week; yet, the sounds of others are barely noticeable in this space. However, the light piano music that can be heard in the background of the sound clip portrays a sense of mundanity that has come to Covid testing. The music did not convey a tense atmosphere or concern despite the global pandemic and the momentary lockdown, Rather, it did the opposite: it made this pandemic ritual feel like just another day.
What is absent: The specific sounds in the process of taking a Covid test are muddled in general rustling: the sound of opening the package which contains the swab, dropping the swab into the test tube, packing the test tube in the sealed bags. The sound clip also does not capture the details of the location that can be seen in the picture. The peculiarity of a ballroom in an expensive hotel that has been turned into a Covid testing site is quite engaging. Yet, this sound clip captures glimpses into the dance of a Covid test: awkward shuffling around others, positioning oneself at a testing station, stepping up for a test tube, stepping back to swab, stepping up to package, and swiftly exiting. With our access to abundant testing, we are all privileged to individually dance through this pandemic ritual.
