Mitchell Lipyansky, Max Borowiec
When first given the prompt to capture the “Sounds of New York”, we thought it would be impossible to grasp all the unique parts of New York City in one project, let alone a 60-75 second audio clip. So, we thought that we should try and obtain aspects of New York City that not only remind people of the city itself but remind them of the greater representation that the city has for so many people which truly makes it the “City of Dreams”.
When thinking of New York City, the arts (whether it be in the form of paintings, music, dancing, etc.) is something that it is known for. Whether it be to sit in astonishment from the numerous works of beauty that these artists present for everyone to see or to get your own career started with the many opportunities that the city has to offer. The first audio clip in our project was a piece played by Conrad Tao in a concert that we went to for our MHC class. We thought that Mr. Tao’s playing adds to the representation of what the city means to people because music is like a language known by all which can be related to the city with the fact that even though we may speak different languages, there will always be something greater that connects us.
On the topic of language, in our audio you may hear a couple of different languages. Throughout New Yorks history, different ethnic groups have built it to be the beautiful city that we live in today. Along with the impact that these ethnic groups brought to the city, they each brought their own unique cultures that make the city diverse and like no other. This allows for a contrast to the unity that the arts bring by giving the people of New York a way to fall back into their own communities, which adds to the complexity of New York.
Lastly, you probably heard the subway noise in our audio. New York City’s subway is something so well known that it couldn’t be left out when asked to capture the “Sounds of New York.” On a larger scale, the subway is something that goes further beyond just being a transport system. Like the arts, the subway is something that allows New York to come together as a whole by connecting all of the different communities through one system. It is because of this that we are able to indulge in the contrasts that our city has to offer.
