Times Square (Neuhaus)

Last updated
Times Square
Times Square 4.jpg
The location in Times Square where the sound art installation emanates
Artist Max Neuhaus
Year1977 (1977), 1992 removed, 2002 reinstalled
Medium Sound art
Location Dia Art Foundation, New York City, New York
Coordinates 40°45′31″N73°59′07″W / 40.7585°N 73.9853°W / 40.7585; -73.9853
Owner Dia Art Foundation
Accession2003.179
Website www.diaart.org/visit/visit-our-locations-sites/max-neuhaus-times-square

Times Square, often referred to as the hum [1] or the Times Square Hum, [2] is a permanent sound art installation created by Max Neuhaus in Times Square in New York City. Originally installed in 1977, it was removed in 1992 and reinstalled in 2002. It is maintained by the Dia Art Foundation, who consider it one of the twelve locations and sites they manage.

Contents

History

Max Neuhaus was a contemporary music maker and artist credited with being the first person to use sound as their primary medium in contemporary art. [3] Times Square was one of a grouping of sound art pieces he created throughout the 1970s in public places in New York City. Other works from the same time period include Walkthrough, in what is now Jay Street–MetroTech station, and A New Work (Underground) in the Museum of Modern Art's garden. [1] The work to create Times Square specifically began when Neuhaus entered negotiations with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) and Consolidated Edison (ConEd) in 1973 about installing the piece. These negotiations stretched over four years largely due to the MTA's refusal to collaborate with a private individual. Neuhaus had to form a non-profit, which he named "Hybrid Energies for Acoustic Resources" (HEAR), before the state agency would begin discussions. [4]

Once the negotiations were completed, Neuhaus constructed homemade electronic sound generators to be used specifically for this piece. He opened the street grate on a pedestrian island between Broadway and Seventh Avenue, between 45th and 46th Streets, and climbed down into a steam escape vent shaft that is visible through the grate. Here he installed both the generator and a loudspeaker. [4] From the beginning, powering the work proved troublesome as the voltage internal to the subway system was too high to power the piece, and ConEd refused to join a line to MTA property. To rectify this, Neuhaus hired an independent maintenance company to connect the piece to a nearby street lamp through an improvised connection. [4]

An image of Times Square in 1977, the year Times Square was first installed New York, New York - 1977 (17).jpg
An image of Times Square in 1977, the year Times Square was first installed

From 1977 through the early 1990s, Times Square continued to play, but supplying power was an ongoing problem. [4] Neuhaus began getting more commissions in Europe and moved abroad, so keeping up with the maintenance on the piece became impossible. [5] [4] For this reason, the piece was disconnected in 1992, but Neuhaus's reputation continued to grow. [4] In 2002, Christine Burgin, a New York City gallery owner, conceived of bringing Times Square back. By working with Neuhaus, the MTA, the Times Square Business Improvement District, and the Dia Art Foundation, Burgin managed to relaunch the piece. [4] [6] The main difference in the new incarnations of the work is a higher volume to overcome the increase in noise in Times Square. [4] Subsequently Neuhaus donated Times Square to the Dia Art Foundation, who currently maintain the piece. [4]

Between the 2002 relaunch and Neuhaus's death in 2009, [3] Neuhaus built additional fail-safe measures into the work so that it would not turn off accidentally. He also watched the area over webcam and worked to discourage street performers as he was worried their sounds would interfere with Times Square. [4]

For about a year between 2015 and 2016, due to the multi-year pedestrianization of Times Square construction, Times Square was inaccessible but, according to the director of communications at the Dia Art Foundation, was never turned off. [1] During this construction granite seating was added next to the grate Times Square emanates from. [1] Also in 2016 New York introduced "Designated Activity Zones" throughout Times Square where street musicians and costumed characters are allowed to perform for tips. [7] One of these zones was marked out with teal paint next to the Times Square grate as well. [8]

Times Square remains the only public installation of a work by Neuhaus in the United States, [3] and is active and can be heard 24 hours a day, seven days a week. [6]

Design

The subway grate where "Times Square" emanates. Times Square by Max Neuhaus 1.jpg
The subway grate where "Times Square" emanates.

Times Square is located in Times Square, on the north side of what was once a triangular pedestrian island, but is now a pedestrian plaza, created by the intersection of Broadway and Seventh Avenue, between 45th and 46th Streets. [4] [6] There is no signage or marking to denote the piece as a work of art per Neuhaus's request. [4] The sound simply emanates from a grate over a steam vent. [4] Neuhaus stated it is intended for the sound to be "plausible", dismissed as an "unusual machinery sound from below ground" [4] and to be overlooked repeatedly until it is discovered by the viewer in a serendipitous way. [1]

The sound itself is described by Neuhaus as "resembling the after ring of large bells," [4] but has also been described as a "deep and slightly pulsating drone" by Dia, [4] "a rich harmonic sound texture" by the MTA, [5] and "a deeply resonant and mildly undulating drone, its tone suggestive of low-pitched chimes or church bells," by The New York Times . [6] While it is a singular wavelength, Dia notes that the perceived sound changes in "pitch, timbre, and tone relative to human movement. [4]

The surrounding area has changed drastically since the work was first installed in 1977. Neuhaus described the area in 1977 saying, "The aural and visual environment is rich and complex. It includes large billboards, moving neon signs, office buildings, hotels, theaters, porno centers and electronic game emporiums. Its population is equally diverse, including tourists, theatregoers, commuters, pimps, shoppers, hucksters and office workers." [4] As of 2020 the area is largely a tourist area populated with "desnudas" and costumed characters performing for tips. [1]

Related Research Articles

Public art is art in any media whose form, function and meaning are created for the general public through a public process. It is a specific art genre with its own professional and critical discourse. Public art is visually and physically accessible to the public; it is installed in public space in both outdoor and indoor settings. Public art seeks to embody public or universal concepts rather than commercial, partisan or personal concepts or interests. Notably, public art is also the direct or indirect product of a public process of creation, procurement, and/or maintenance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dan Flavin</span> American minimalist artist

Dan Flavin was an American minimalist artist famous for creating sculptural objects and installations from commercially available fluorescent light fixtures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Max Neuhaus</span> Musical artist

Max Neuhaus was an American musician, composer and artist who was a noted interpreter of contemporary and experimental percussion music in the 1960s. He went on to create numerous permanent and short-term sound installations in the four decades that followed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dia Art Foundation</span> US nonprofit arts foundation

Dia Art Foundation is a nonprofit organization that initiates, supports, presents, and preserves art projects. It was established in 1974 by Philippa de Menil, the daughter of Houston arts patron Dominique de Menil and an heiress to the Schlumberger oil exploration fortune; art dealer Heiner Friedrich, Philippa's husband; and Helen Winkler, a Houston art historian. Dia provides support to projects "whose nature or scale would preclude other funding sources."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Westchester Square–East Tremont Avenue station</span> New York City Subway station in the Bronx

The Westchester Square–East Tremont Avenue station is a local station on the IRT Pelham Line of the New York City Subway. Located at the intersection of East Tremont and Westchester Avenues in Westchester Square, Bronx, it is served by the 6 train at all times except weekdays in the peak direction, when the <6> train takes over.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First Avenue station (BMT Canarsie Line)</span> New York City Subway station in Manhattan

The First Avenue station is a station on the BMT Canarsie Line of the New York City Subway. Located at the intersection of First Avenue and East 14th Street at the border of Stuyvesant Park, Stuyvesant Town, and the East Village in Manhattan, it is served by the L train at all times.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sutter Avenue station</span> New York City Subway station in Brooklyn

The Sutter Avenue station is a station on the BMT Canarsie Line of the New York City Subway. Located at the intersection of Van Sinderen and Sutter Avenues at the border of Brownsville and East New York, Brooklyn, it is served by the L train at all times.

<i>Triforium</i> (Los Angeles) Public artwork in Los Angeles, California

Triforium is a 60-foot high, concrete public art sculpture mounted with 1,494 Venetian glass prisms, light bulbs, and an internal 79-bell carillon located at Fletcher Bowron Square in the Los Angeles Mall at Temple and Main streets in the Civic Center district of Downtown Los Angeles.

Liz Phillips is an American artist specializing in sound art and interactive art. A pioneer in the development of interactive sound sculpture, Phillips' installations explore the possibilities of electronic sound in relation to living forms. Her work has been exhibited at a wide range of major museums, alternative spaces, festivals, and other venues, including the Whitney Museum of American Art, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Spoleto Festival USA, the Walker Art Center, Ars Electronica, Jacob's Pillow, The Kitchen, and Creative Time. Phillips' collaborations include pieces with Nam June Paik and the Merce Cunningham Dance Company, and her work has been presented by the Cleveland Orchestra, IBM, and the World Financial Center. She is often associated with, and exhibited alongside other early American sound artists Pauline Oliveros, John Cage and Max Neuhaus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nick Cave (artist)</span> American visual artist, sculptor, dancer, and performance artist

Nick Cave is an American sculptor, dancer, performance artist, and professor. He is best known for his Soundsuit series: wearable assemblage fabric sculptures that are bright, whimsical, and other-worldly, often made with found objects. He also trained as a dancer with Alvin Ailey and often incorporates dance and performance into his works. His later sculptures have focused on color theory and included mixed media and large-scale installations. He lives in Chicago, Illinois, and directs the graduate fashion program at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He continues to work on Soundsuits as well as works completed as a sculptor, dancer, and performance artist.

<i>Urban Light</i> Art installation in Los Angeles, California, United States

Urban Light (2008) is a large-scale assemblage sculpture by Chris Burden located at the Wilshire Boulevard entrance to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). The 2008 installation consists of restored street lamps from the 1920s and 1930s. Most of them once lit the streets of Southern California.

<i>New York Earth Room</i> Installation by Walter De Maria

The New York Earth Room is an interior sculpture by the artist Walter de Maria that has been installed in a loft at 141 Wooster Street in New York City since 1977. The sculpture is a permanent installation of 250 cubic yards of earth in 3,600 square feet of floor space, and 22 inch depth of material. The installation has had the same caretaker, Bill Dilworth, since 1989, and is maintained by the Dia Art Foundation who consider it one of their 12 locations and sites they manage.

MTA Arts & Design, formerly known as Metropolitan Transportation Authority Arts for Transit and Arts for Transit and Urban Design, is a commissioned art program directed by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority for the transportation systems serving New York City and the surrounding region. Since 1985, the program has installed art in more than 260 transit stations. The art is intended to be site-specific and to improve the journey for New Yorkers and visitors alike.

Janet C. Zweig is an American artist whose work consists primarily of art in the public realm and computer-driven language-generating sculpture.

Emeka Ogboh is a Nigerian sound and installation artist best known for his soundscapes of life in Lagos. Trained as an artist, he began working with sounds that characterize cities following an Egyptian multimedia art program. He presents unmodified field recordings from Lagos city life—for instance, its danfo share taxi system—in gallery installations with headphones and speakers. His non-audio work uses iconography from Lagos city life. He participated in the DAAD Artists-in-Berlin Program and 2015 Venice Biennale, and received the 2016 Bremen Böttcherstraße Art Award. His work has exhibited at the Brooklyn Museum, American National Museum of African Art, Menil Collection, Casino Luxembourg, and Kiasma. Critics noted his soundscapes' chaos and complexity, and his focus on recontextualizing rather than transforming the city's sounds.

Kim Beck is an American artist living and working in New York City and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Beck works in drawing, sculpture, installation, photography, printmaking and multimedia, focusing her attention on subjects that might otherwise be overlooked. She is especially known for her artist's books and public artworks dealing with the subject of landscape.

<i>Dream House</i> (installation)

Dream House is a sound and light installation, and occasional performance venue, created by minimalist composer La Monte Young and multimedia artist Marian Zazeela. The installation features Young's continuous sine wave drones and Zazeela's lighting and design.

<i>The Vertical Earth Kilometer</i> Art installation in Kassel, Germany

The Vertical Earth Kilometer is a permanent art installation created by Walter De Maria in Friedrichsplatz Park in front of the Fridericianum in Kassel, Germany. The Vertical Earth Kilometer is a solid brass rod, one kilometer (3,280.84 ft.) in length and 2 inches (5.1 cm) in diameter. It is inserted into the earth so that its top is flush to the ground and embedded in a two-by-two-meter red sandstone square. Installed in 1977 during documenta 6, it has been on permanent view ever since. The Vertical Earth Kilometer is maintained by the Dia Art Foundation as one of the twelve locations and sites they manage.

The Broken Kilometer is a permanent art installation created by Walter De Maria inside a street-level storefront in the SoHo neighborhood of New York City. The piece consists of 500 round solid brass rods, 2 meters long by 2 inches (51 mm) in diameter, laid on the floor in 5 rows of 100 rods each. The space between the rods increase by 5 millimeters. The first two rods of each row are placed 80 millimeters apart, the last two rods are placed 570 millimeters apart. The work is illuminated with metal-halide stadium lights. Commissioned by the Dia Art Foundation in 1979, it has been on view to the public ever since. The Broken Kilometer is maintained by the Dia Art Foundation as one of the twelve locations and sites they manage.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Meier, Allison. A Hidden Times Square Sound Installation Returns to Full Hum. Hyperallergic. May 19, 2016. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  2. ↑ Meier, Allison. Three Important Manhattan Public Artworks That Often Go Overlooked. Hyperallergic. August 4, 2015. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 Max Neuhaus. Times Square Arts. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Max Neuhaus; Times Square, 1977. Dia Art Foundation. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  5. 1 2 Times Square-46th Street. MTA Arts & Design. Retrieved May, 19 2020.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Carlson, Jen. Visit The Eerie Circa-1970s Sound Installation In Times Square. Gothamist. October 31, 2014. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  7. ↑ New Zones Painted In Times Square To Regulate Costumed Characters. WCBS-TV. June 9, 2016. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  8. ↑ Van Dusen, Caitlin. SOUND: Secret sound installation in a Times Square sidewalk. Sense & the City. August 2, 2017. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.