IN-PERSON Barcelona. Section B

Abstract

In this project, we study the history and culture of Midtown Manhattan through the sounds recorded by Tony Schwartz between 1950 and 1980. Schwartz was a prominent late-twentieth century advertising consultant, who used the thousands of recordings he made of the sounds of his neighborhood over a thirty-year period in a series of LP records, in advertisements and in the radio show he hosted. Schwartz recordings provide singular insight into the culture of a changing city. We have used Schwartz’s analogue sound recordings to create an interactive digital map which allows a modern audience to explore a New York of the past, a New York which no longer exists but which shaped the city as we now know it. This project offers a unique perspective on soundscapes by using a historic lens, enabling us to observe how the changing nature of a neighborhood was revealed through sound. Through Schwartz’s recordings we come to understand how sensory perceptions give meaning to space. In exploring urban history through sound, we explore how noise reflects, frames, and defines our experience of cultural, economic, and physical change. The sounds Tony chose to record are demonstrative of his own values and his understanding of the city; they provide insight into life in New York City, including the sounds of festivities, dining, shopping, children at play, and entertainment. This project demonstrates how the sounds of a city and its people changed over time, but also offers an understanding of authenticity and artifice within identity. These sounds are authentic, they are not staged or scripted and they are grounded in a community. Yet, what Tony chose to record, and how and when he chose to present this material, are part of a narrative of his choosing.