GROUP WRITE UP (Karlin, Alex, Tanushree)

Union Square: Sound Revealed

Union Square; a center of culture, expression and city life. This small square holds every aspect of New York. All one needs to do is close their eyes and listen. The banging of the drums and the chants of the religious, the myriad of accents wafting through the air as people from every culture interact with one another, the random snippets of music from musicians serenading the crowds, the quiet rustle of the wind through the trees as its journey is slowed through the city of skyscrapers, the children’s giggles as they play in the park alongside the dogs barking, even the padding of the thousands of feet can be heard as they tread through the park or into the subway. It is these sounds that create a scene, a set image, one that when missing would deconstruct and disorientate those who visit it.

We decided to divide the park  into sections, each of which holds a differing perspective, a different type of sound. There were 8 main sections; the subway area, the dog park, the playground, the social/sitting areas, the music/musicians, the market place, and the surrounding streets. Through a series of recordings we found varied noises in each section of the park.

We started to investigate these sections by walking around the park and making diagrams to indicate the main noise areas. Afterwards, we made a second round to record data. The first section was the subway, which basically included sounds of moving trains, the gushes of air, and the rush of people walking down the stairs. Moving on, there was the dog park where dog owners gave orders to their dogs, and there was the sound of barking and running against the sandy dirt. Later, there was the playground which was pretty much filled with energetic voices and swift movements. Nearby, was the social area, which was pretty much small conversations between individuals as well as the sound of wrappers and food packaging and newspaper. The market was calm, and there were conversations between the buyers and sellers. Finally the surrounding streets were filled with honking, car noises, buses and crowds walking.

These 8 sections are all very particular, yet they all fit into the same park. We believe that there are many ways we could interpret our findings.

INDIVIDUAL WRITE UP 

Union square is one of the main parks in New York city.  It has 14th street on its south side, union square west on its west side, 17th street on the north, and east union square on the east. The park links the main avenues broadway and park. Nonetheless it is a popular place where people go to do a variety of things. Interestingly, everyone who goes to the park goes there with a different intention. According to my research on the history of the park, it is mainly used for recreational purposes, propaganda, performing, and commerce. However, as I went to the park and studied it through sound I asked myself: How does the noise level in different sections of union square park define the purpose of its visitors?

At the beginning, me and my group divided the park into 8 different sections, each with their own particular sounds. These sections included: the subway, the dog park, the playground, the sitting/social area, the music/musicians area, the market area, and the surrounding streets. After recording our data we found that each had its main sound. When I visited the park for a second time, I decided to add an eighth section which was the middle part of the park. There was no particular sound, but it was a mixture of its surroundings. Not to mention, it was the quietest section in the park. Most importantly, I discovered that there were different levels of noise depending on the section.

After doing further investigation on each section I decided to narrow down my data by creating a range of volumes (1 being the lowest and 10 the highest). It came to my attention why one section had more noise than another. This brought up the idea that ultimately every person in the park is there for a particular reason, whether it is to play music, have lunch, to relax, or buy to something in the market. With that being said, the park’s noise distribution ultimately defines the public’s purpose for being there. An example could be the music section which has a very high noise level compared to other sections. This

means that if we were to compare the volume of this area (9) to a section of 5 or below, we will find that it is an area where people aim to be entertained as opposed to relaxed in a lower volume section section.

I personally learned that sound, like other senses can give us solid answers . In this case I found that the sound distribution in union square could define the public’s purpose in being in the park. That way, by simply listening we are able to unravel why people are in a specific area.