I got lost last week­end, end­ing up at Tolles­bury Mar­ina. I was think­ing about Kat Riach’s piece on sound, as I walked around (it’s not that I’m a work­aholic, but a deeply incul­cated soci­olo­gical ima­gin­a­tion isn’t eas­ily switched off; it’s a gov­ernance of the soul).

There was no-one else around, but it was not quiet.

repairing boats, Lynne Pettinger

They were so busy in that rusty cor­rug­ated iron shed. I could hear radio 1, and creek­ing, scrap­ing and whin­ing machinery. They were laugh­ing. I think they men­ded boats; I have no under­stand­ing of what that would involve. 

We don’t always notice other people’s work spaces; some are pub­lic and yet hid­den, but sounds call our atten­tion to work activ­ity and give us clues as to what people are doing even when they can­not be seen.