Streetscape Symphony | IDEAS City Festival Installation

Overview

An interactive sound installation exploring NYC's five boroughs through simultaneous soundscapes, created for the New Museum's 2013 IDEAS CITY Festival themed around untapped urban capital. Exhibited at Garis & Hahn Gallery, May 2013.

Core Concept

The project examined how city dwellers unconsciously filter environmental sounds. An urban soundscape is reflexive -- shaped by its inhabitants and in turn having a profound effect on their daily lives.

Technical Approach

• Geotagged binaural audio recordings captured across all five boroughs over a full day
• 5-channel audio system responding to visitor movement via motion tracking software
• Proximity to each borough's zone caused its soundscape to expand and focus
• A dedicated binaural headphone station enabled A-B comparisons between boroughs

Themes Explored

• Transit-oriented development
• Public transportation as connective tissue
• Undervalued urban spaces as agents for positive citywide change

Collaborators

• Dave Rife & Gabe Liberti
• Kevin Siwoff
• Bettina Zerza

Press Coverage

VICE Motherboard and The Creator's Project