2017
https://muse.jhu.edu/pub/6/article/679692/pdf
In his 2017 Leonardo Music Journal article, Charles Eppley examines the preservation and institutionalization of Max Neuhaus’s Times Square (1977–1992; 2002–present) as a "post-musical" sonic installation integrated into New York City infrastructure. The work explores the transition from "guerrilla" sonic art to a formally maintained, site-specific "invisible monument" acquired by the Dia Art Foundation. Read the full analysis at MIT Press Direct.
The "Un-monument": Eppley characterizes the work as an invisible, non-visual landmark. Unlike traditional sculpture, its preservation relies not just on hardware, but on maintaining a specific acoustic relationship with the ever-changing noise of New York City.
The "strategies" in the title refer to how the work was saved. After being decommissioned in 1992, it was restored in 2002 through a partnership between the Dia Art Foundation, the MTA, and the Times Square Business Improvement District. Eppley argues that preserving sound art requires institutional persistence rather than just technical maintenance.
The article discusses the "hacking" of urban infrastructure. Neuhaus used a machine room below a subway grate to house loudspeakers. Eppley notes that as urban environments modernize, the original "sonic signature" of the work is threatened by changes in the surrounding soundscape (e.g., quieter hybrid cars or different subway tones).
Appearing in the "History & Memory" issue, the text asks how a work that many people "discover" by accident can be remembered as a masterpiece. Eppley suggests that the experience of the listener is the primary object of preservation.