THE SONOCENE

Listening can be many things. It is an exchange of vibrational energy in the form of waves. It is a means for auditory perception and cognition. It is a relational endeavor between a listener and a sound-source. In this episode, “INTRO,” you will be guided through a deep-listening exercise. The soundscape of a rainy day in Manhattan is explored through the concepts of listening, sound, and the Ant...

Some of the most widely-held sentiments toward NYC rats include disgust, fear, aversion, and horror. But how could these associations be challenged if we momentarily see or hear things from their perspective? How might our relationships to rats change in light of their ability to communicate and speak to one another? For his project, Urban Intonation, Brian House (sound artist and Professor of Art...

In 2020, Hannibal Bracey created the Instagram page @TheBlackBeanNYC, which is dedicated to reviewing BIPOC-owned and operated coffee institutions throughout NYC. Partly inspired by his own experiences of exclusion and racism in various coffee shops, Bracey hopes to use @TheBlackBeanNYC to empower local communities and businesses that were hit hard during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. In th...

Compost is not soil but a soil amendment, which means that you add compost to soil in order to reintroduce nutrients to those microbiomes. Beyond its ability to foster healthy plant growth or green spaces in urban environments, healthy soil can also sequester carbon and mitigate flooding events. Therefore, incorporation of compost within soil can help reverse some effects of climate change that we...

The presence of coyotes in New York City may seem contradictory, as wild animals living in such a densely populated city might be hard to believe. However, numerous packs of coyotes have been able to thrive across the city’s pockets of green space.  In this episode, “Following Coyotes,” Jay Simpson (artist-researcher and National Geographic Explorer) tells a story about coyotes, soundscape ecology...

“Recycle, reuse, and reduce. And rein-in carbon on the loose. Pack your bags just in case. Prepare to go to outerspace!” While the health of our planet is concerning, inequities continue to pervade society today. In trying to build a world where all life can thrive, music, performance, and drag can serve as mediums through which systemic change can occur.  In this episode, “Terraformin’ Drag,” Chr...

The process of making your own clothing takes time, patience, and care. And while it might seem overwhelming, it’s not as inaccessible as you might think! “The more people know what goes into a piece of clothing, the more people will stop undervaluing the cloth they put on their back.” So forget about fast fashion! How about slow sewing? In this episode, “Slow Sewing,” Isabelle Levine (designer an...

The Ecological City—Procession for Climate Solutions (currently in its sixth year) is a pageant event that happens across multiple sites in Lower Manhattan. Through music, dance, poetry, processionals, visual art, puppetry, and speech, The Ecological City highlights the importance of green and natural spaces in the city as urban climate solutions. In this episode, “The Ecological City,” Felicia Yo...

A superfund site is a location containing abandoned hazardous pollutants that often require remediation. By contrast, the sounds of these locations can seem rather peaceful, beautiful, or serene.  In this episode, “Superfund Waterways,” Danielle Butler and N.D. Austin (co-founders of the Tideland Institute), and Jeremy S. Bloom (sound artist) tell a story about the New York Harbor, the possibiliti...

New York City used to be all about car culture. But throughout the 1990’s and early 2000’s, environmental advocates and community members built a culture surrounding non-polluting transportation. Eventually, these efforts helped establish the bike lane infrastructure that so many New Yorkers utilize and value today. In this episode, “Time’s Up Cars Suck!,” Bill Di Paola (Founder of Time's Up! and...

What does the act of listening mean to you? In this episode, “OUTRO,” we asked all of our participants to reflect on how the act of listening relates to their ecological stories.