Ellen Reid SOUNDWALK

Ellen Reid SOUNDWALK is a GPS-enabled work of public art that uses music to illuminate the natural environment. Created by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer and sound artist Ellen Reid, SOUNDWALK is user-guided: the path you choose dictates the music you hear, and no two visits will be exactly the same.

I served as curatorial advisor for the inaugural SOUNDWALK in New York’s Central Park. My role involved collaborating with Reid, researching the history of the park and working with young people on site-specific poetry for the walk. I also provided production support for a film with Ellen Reid and Mitchell Silver, the commissioner of the New York City parks department, and organized a related panel.

The New York SOUNDWALK, the first in a global series, debuted in September 2020. It was organized as a way to connect to a wide audience during a relatively early phase of the pandemic. The site-specific work illuminates the urban landscape in Central Park featuring musicians from the New York Philharmonic, a local jazz collective, and youth choir. Accessible via a free app, the immersive audio experience was intended to encourage introspection and joyful connection at a time when physical distancing kept people apart.