A New York Minute - An Audio-Poetic History

In late April 2020 -  the height of the first wave of pandemic - I put out a call to friends across New York’s five boroughs; "Would you record one minute of audio out your window, balcony, or door at 7PM this Friday, May 1st, 2020?” 

I wanted to memorialize the ritual celebration of essential workers that had developed each night as we sheltered in place. It seemed fitting to do this on May Day - an age old celebration of spring and renewal but also chosen as International Workers Day.

I gathered 50 geotagged recordings of that night along with accompanying photography from each vantage point where the sound was captured. You hear a farrago of huzzahs, whoops, and hosannas, and all manner of improvised noisifying instruments built from kitchen utensils and cookware - all meaning to say two things at the same time. Thank you. We are still here.

Making noise - yelling and clapping - is a deep and ageless form of expression. All the more extraordinary for this ritual to be taking place in our ultra-modern metropolis. 

For the best experience please listen with headphones.

Track one: All of New York raises its voice into the starry chamber of coming night. It begins with one neighborhood in your left ear, which is then joined by another neighborhood in your right. Neighborhood by neighborhood add to the chorus across New York City until your ears are filled with pandemonium. Humanity. Finally the sound telescopes back down to three neighborhoods separated by miles but creating harmonious music. Total run time is one minute.

Track two: Manhattan: Wall Street to Harlem. A one-minute flyover audio tour of 17 neighborhoods running from south to north.