1966
Work(s): LISTEN.
In February 1966, Neuhaus officially inaugurated his career as an independent visual and sound artist with the first realization of his Listen series. Moving away from traditional concert halls and the philosophy of bringing found sounds into performance spaces (such as John Cage's approach), Neuhaus decided to take the audience directly into the ready-made acoustic environment of the city.
The Meeting Point: Neuhaus asked a small group of invited participants to meet him on the corner of Avenue D and East 14th Street in Manhattan's Lower East Side.The Ritual: He did not speak or offer commentary. Instead, he silently rubber-stamped the word "LISTEN" onto the hand of each person before leading them on a designated walk.The Sonic Catalyst: The centerpiece of this specific route was the massive Consolidated Edison (Con Ed) Power Station. At 14th Street and Avenue D, the road bisected the active industrial facility. Neuhaus chose this site specifically because it generated what he described as a "spectacularly massive rumbling", forcing the participants to reframe raw, industrial noise into a complex, curated acoustic composition.