''Times Square'', often referred to as ''the hum''Meier, Allison
A Hidden Times Square Sound Installation Returns to Full Hum

Hyperallergic ''Hyperallergic'' is an online arts magazine, based in Brooklyn, New York. Founded by the art critic Hrag Vartanian and his husband Veken Gueyikian in October 2009, the site describes itself as a "forum for serious, playful, and radical thinking ...

. May 19, 2016. Retrieved May 20, 2020. or the ''Times Square Hum'',Meier, Allison
Three Important Manhattan Public Artworks That Often Go Overlooked

. August 4, 2015. Retrieved May 20, 2020. is a permanent

sound art Sound art is an artistic activity in which sound is utilized as a primary medium or material. Like many genres of contemporary art, sound art may be interdisciplinary in nature, or be used in hybrid forms. According to Brandon LaBelle, sound art ...

installation created by

Max Neuhaus Max Neuhaus (August 9, 1939 – February 3, 2009) 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 soun ...

Times Square Times Square is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment hub, and neighborhood in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is formed by the junction of Broadway, Seventh Avenue, and 42nd Street. Together with adjacent ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. Originally installed in 1977, it was removed in 1992 and reinstalled in 2002. It is maintained by the

Dia Art 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 Ménil, Dominique de Menil and an h ...

, who consider it one of the eleven locations and sites they manage.

History

was a contemporary music maker and artist credited with being the first person to use sound as their primary

medium Medium may refer to: Science and technology Aviation *Medium bomber, a class of war plane * Tecma Medium, a French hang glider design Communication * Media (communication), tools used to store and deliver information or data * Medium of ...

contemporary art Contemporary art is the art of today, produced in the second half of the 20th century or in the 21st century. Contemporary artists work in a globally influenced, culturally diverse, and technologically advancing world. Their art is a dynamic com ...

. ''Times Square'' was one of a grouping of

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 The Jay Street–MetroTech station is a New York City Subway station complex on the IND Fulton Street, IND Culver, and BMT Fourth Avenue lines. The complex is located in the vicinity of MetroTech Center (near Jay and Willoughby Streets) in ...

, and ''A New Work (Underground)'' in the

Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It plays a major role in developing and collecting modern art, and is often identified as one of ...

's garden. The work to create ''Times Square'' specifically began when Neuhaus entered negotiations with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) and

Consolidated Edison Consolidated Edison, Inc., commonly known as Con Edison (stylized as conEdison) or ConEd, is one of the largest investor-owned energy companies in the United States, with approximately $12 billion in annual revenues as of 2017, and over $62 b ...

(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.Max Neuhaus; Times Square, 1977

. Retrieved May 20, 2020. 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 A refuge island, also known as a pedestrian refuge or pedestrian island, is a small section of pavement or sidewalk, surrounded by asphalt or other road materials, where pedestrians can stop before finishing crossing a road. It is typically u ...

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. From the beginning, powering the work proved troublesome as the voltage internal to the

subway system Rapid transit or mass rapid transit (MRT), also known as heavy rail or metro, is a type of high-capacity public transport generally found in urban areas. A rapid transit system that primarily or traditionally runs below the surface may be c ...

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. New York, New York - 1977 (17)

From 1977 through the early 1990s, ''Times Square'' continued to play, but supplying power was an ongoing problem. Neuhaus began getting more commissions in Europe and moved abroad, so keeping up with the maintenance on the piece became impossible. For this reason, the piece was disconnected in 1992, but Neuhaus's reputation continued to grow. 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

, Burgin managed to relaunch the piece. The main difference in the new incarnations of the work is a higher volume to overcome the increase in noise in Times Square. Subsequently Neuhaus donated ''Times Square'' to the Dia Art Foundation, who currently maintain the piece. Between the 2002 relaunch and Neuhaus's death in 2009, 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 Street performance or busking is the act of performing in public places for gratuities. In many countries, the rewards are generally in the form of money but other gratuities such as food, drink or gifts may be given. Street performance is pra ...

as he was worried their sounds would interfere with ''Times Square''. 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. During this construction granite seating was added next to the grate ''Times Square'' emanates from. Also in 2016 New York introduced "Designated Activity Zones" throughout Times Square where street musicians and costumed characters are allowed to perform for tips. One of these zones was marked out with teal paint next to the ''Times Square'' grate as well.Van Dusen, Caitlin
SOUND: Secret sound installation in a Times Square sidewalk
Sense & the City. August 2, 2017. Retrieved May 20, 2020. ''Times Square'' remains the only public installation of a work by Neuhaus in the United States,Max Neuhaus
Times Square Arts. Retrieved May 20, 2020. and is active and can be heard 24 hours a day, seven days a week.Carlson, Jen
Visit The Eerie Circa-1970s Sound Installation In Times Square

Gothamist Gothamist LLC is the operator, or in some cases franchisor, of eight city-centric websites that focused on news, events, food, culture, and other local coverage. It was founded in 2003 by Jake Dobkin and Jen Chung. In March 2017, Joe Ricketts, ...

. October 31, 2014. Retrieved May 20, 2020.

Design

''Times Square'' is located in

, 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. There is no signage or marking to denote the piece as a work of art per Neuhaus's request. The sound simply emanates from a grate over a steam vent. Neuhaus stated it is intended for the sound to be "plausible", dismissed as an "unusual machinery sound from below ground" and to be overlooked repeatedly until it is discovered by the viewer in a serendipitous way. The sound itself is described by Neuhaus as "resembling the after ring of large bells," but has also been described as a "deep and slightly pulsating drone" by Dia, "a rich harmonic sound texture" by the MTA,Times Square-46th Street

MTA Arts & Design MTA Arts & Design, formerly known as 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 198 ...

. Retrieved May, 19 2020. and "a deeply resonant and mildly undulating drone, its tone suggestive of low-pitched chimes or church bells," by ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

''. While it is a singular wavelength, Dia notes that the perceived sound changes in "pitch, timbre, and tone relative to human movement. 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." As of 2020 the area is largely a tourist area populated with "

desnuda A desnuda is a seminude, topless female performer covered in body paint who poses for photos in exchange for tips in the pedestrian plaza of New York City's Times Square. The desnudas typically wear thong underwear and high heels, and use red, whi ...

s" and costumed characters performing for tips.

References

External links

Times Square Arts page on the artwork

* ttps://www.diaart.org/collection/collection/neuhaus-max-times-square-19772002-2003-179/ Dia artwork page {{Public art in Manhattan Times Square Public art in New York City Sound sculptures 1977 works