1974
UNDERGROUND MUSIC(S) 1974
A site of sidewalk installations - sounds from underground chambers covered with gratings.
1 . Times Square.
The site proposed for this work is an esplanade at intersection of Broadway and Seventy Avenue , between 45th and 46h Streets. Underneath it is a large subway ventilation chamber covered by grating which comprises the main area of the esplanade . The esplanade is now unused .
I have become interested in what I feel to be a higher level of comprehension and involvement which people experience when they discover a work of themselves . In "Walkthrough" , I feel I have developed such a situation by choosing certain kinds of sounds level , by locating in a place with a large amount of pedestrian traffic , and by making the work anonymous . This Times Square site is similarity well suited .
The ventilation chamber itself , where the loudspeakers and generating electronics will be located , is acoustically very special . It is roughly triangular in shape , with a series of tunnels of different lengths leading off one side and with a small chamber at one end . My preliminary underground survey at the location indicates these chambers have distinctive sound resonance which I would like to explore further .
I find these particular sound qualities extremely interesting and it is probable that they will form the basis for this work .
Max Neuhaus 1974