2002
In her 2002 book Alternative Art New York, 1965–1985, Julie Ault documents the critical role of Max Neuhaus in the development of New York's alternative art scene. The text highlights how Neuhaus transitioned from a world-class percussionist to a pioneer of "sound installation"—a term he coined—by moving art out of the concert hall and into the public sphere.
The book traces the origins of the soundwalk to Neuhaus's 1966 work LISTEN, where he led audiences through industrial New York environments to focus on ambient noise as an artistic experience.
Ault includes Neuhaus as a key figure in the "Rooms" exhibition at P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center (now MoMA PS1) in 1976. For this inaugural show, he created a sound installation that utilized the building's unique architecture.
Times Square (1977): One of Neuhaus's most enduring works, this permanent sound installation is located under a ventilation grate on a pedestrian island in Times Square. Ault situates this work within the broader "alternative" movement that challenged visual-centric art by creating "perceptual predicaments" for unsuspecting passersby.
As part of the Social Text Collective project, the book explores how Neuhaus’s "guerrilla" approach to sound art provided an aesthetic critique of traditional institutions, aligning with the era's broader social and political ferment