Voice Tunnel

On Saturday we got up early in order to head up to the Park Avenue Tunnel to experience the installation
Voice Tunnel by Rafael Lozano-Hemmer.

Voice Tunnel is an interactive light and sound installation by Mexican-Canadian artist Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, will transform the 1,400 foot long Park Avenue Tunnel with 300 theatrical spotlights that produce glimmering arches of light along the tunnel’s walls and ceiling. Participants will be able to influence the intensity of each light by speaking into a special intercom at the tunnel’s center which records their voice and loops it. Louder speech will increase the lights’ brightness proportionally, creating a Morse-like code of flashes throughout the tunnel. The individual voices will be heard as pedestrians walk through the tunnel, on 150 loudspeakers, one beside each light arch and synchronized with it.

At any given time, the tunnel will be illuminated by the voices of the past 90 participants: as new participants speak into the intercom, older recordings will get pushed away by one position down the array of light fixtures until they leave the tunnel, so that the content of the piece is changing constantly.

 You enter to flashing lights down the tunnel with the sounds of many voices in short bursts.  In the middle of the tunnel there is a button where one at a time each person holds down and says what they wish.  Your voice then travels down the tunnel stopping at each arch of lights.  Ahead of us a few children shrieked into the microphone and we could hear their screams travel down the tunnel.  

At my turn I said "All mimsy were the borogoves" from Lewis Carroll's Jaberwocky poem.  We followed our own voices for a while as they traveled down the tunnel.  When you go close to a speaker you can hear the individual voice but when you move into the middle of the tunnel and walk down it all the voices come together.  

At the end of the tunnel you come out right in front of Grand Central.  

This Saturday the 17th is the last day to see Voice Tunnel, I recommend getting there early.  We arrived at about 8 am and only had to wait about 20 minutes to sign the waiver form and enter the tunnel.  When we walked by again around 10 there was a really long line.  

Check out the Summer Streets website for more information.