The Brooklyn Bridge Sound Sculpture at One World Trade Center, New York, 1983
This was realized for the 100th anniversary of the Brooklyn Bridge in 1983. At this time, the Bridge made continuous sounds created from the oscillating drones of cars moving over a steel grid roadway, which later was silenced in the late 80's by being paved over by blacktop.
Eight microphones were mounted below this roadway and transmitted the live sounds of the Brooklyn Bridge to the exterior of a building that also no longer exists, One World Trade Center. This oscillating drone was played from 8 loudspeakers embedded behind the vertical struts of the facade along a set-back high above the Austin J. Tobin Plaza. The presence of this abstract droning sound floated above this plaza, becoming the sound of the building, being mistaken sometimes for wind.
Loudspeakers were also mounted on the observation terrace with panoramic views of New York and the East River. The Brooklyn Bridge was clearly visible from this vantage point and was the first time I had explored in real time the idea of hearing as far as you could see.
Documentary Exhibition Catalogue from Amerika Haus Berlin, 1983
This 33 minute long media presentation was produced for an exhibiton in 2002 at the Academy of Media Arts in Cologne. A real time recording of a live transmission of the oscillating tones from the Bridge plays continuously against slowly alternating images of either a black screen, the Brooklyn Bridge or the World Trade Center.