Realizing
On a walk around Times Square in NYC, you’ll hear all sorts of sounds, mostly related to people, traffic, etc., but there are some sounds of the city that are a bit more mysterious – tones and frequencies we might not recognize where they’re coming from or what’s causing them.
On a recent trip, I was lead to this area in search of a specific sound, though we weren’t exactly sure what it sounded like. We looked for a location first, and then listened, to see if that might be the place. The place I’m referring to is between 45th and 46th street, on the triangular median. There, down below the street grates, is an emission of sound, put there by ex-percussionist Max Neuhaus in 1977, and it can still be heard today. As we stood there, I watched the constant activity around me, as people rushed by, cars honked, and no one really stopped to see where this sound was coming from or what it was. It isn’t very loud, and isn’t the type of sound to draw attention, but it’s definitely there.
If anyone did hear it, they didn’t bother (at least the day we stood there). I wondered about that; how much is around us that we don’t pay attention to. Even if someone would stop and try to figure it out, they couldn’t — there’s no sign or marking telling anyone what this sound is. You either know what it is prior to arriving, or it just becomes another part of the city’s audio landscape. In either case, it’s interesting, and also lead me to further explore Neuhaus’ work; someone who I was previously unfamiliar with.
The photo above is from Neuhaus’ site, taken in 1977 when the installation launched. You can see the reactions were similar then, as they are now.
Posted in News
May 20th, 2009 at 4:53 pm
Great that you sought this out, Jon, and got to experience it. A thought to ponder: If Neuhaus hadn’t been a noted artist, would you have known to look for his installation? If he’d been a pedantic housepainter, would anyone care?
(BTW, Neuhaus’ readings of Stockhausen’s “Zyklus” are well worth checking out, if you haven’t already.)
We talked about this, J, but on a similar tangent for anyone else who might be in Chicago or in its proximity: Just north of Millennium Park, across Randolph Street, is the 80-or-so-story AON Center. Out in front, flanking the outer reaches of the property are the two largest of Harry Bertoia’s Sonambient sound sculptures. The wind can get them going and they look/sound great, but if you get in there with your hands and really start working the zinc, it’s a surprisingly exhilarating and rewarding experience.
May 25th, 2009 at 2:59 pm
Let’s face it, if Neuhaus didn’t have some sort of reputation, he likely couldn’t have gotten NYC to install this thing AND let it remain for over 30 years. I think anyone who cares about this though, wouldn’t be too bothered that there was such a reputation – they’d simply be happy that such a thing existed.
I still have yet to see the Bertoia sculptures down there. There was a great exhibition of his pieces at the Haggerty Museum here years ago that unfortunately wasn’t permanent.