T.I.N.Y. Interactive Audio/Art Installation Launches in NYC – 6/1-6/16

If sound is a part of your world, there’s a can’t-miss public art installation in NYC for the next two weeks.

Look, and especially listen, at T.I.N.Y. in NYC, through June 16th.

One of the world’s most accomplished sound designers, Walter Werzowa of Hollywood music production house Musikvergnuegen, has teamed with the equally high-impact visual artist and designer Garson Yu, to create The Interactive New York (T.I.N.Y.), a large-scale interactive multimedia public art installation at the Marina at Pier 57 in Hudson River Park (near the end of 15th Street on the West Side Highway, just south of Chelsea Piers), that runs through Sunday, June 16th.

Together, the pair have created a multimedia installation that allows participants to engage in a multi-sensory experience as they walk through a series of shipping containers. Modeled to reflect the melodious and nostalgic sounds of the streets and subways of New York, the installation is designed to tap into the childhood memories of participants — those of whom actually grew up in NYC, of course.

If anyone knows how to evoke emotions and memory though sound, it’s Werzowa. In addition to being the creator of the unforgettable five-note “Intel Inside” mnemonic, his talents have been tapped by LG Electronics, Red Bull, Samsung, Delta Airlines, Comedy Central, Sanyo, and Elecronic Arts, as well as original music and sound design for myriad films, TV and commercials.

There is no fee to access the exhibit. T.I.N.Y. has limited access on weekdays (the screens are playing but only the main tunnel is available for a walk through). and full access on weekends.

Here’s more information on this distinctive – and very temporary — NYC experience, as provided by Musikvergnuegen:

Musikvergnuegen brought its sound design expertise to the T.I.N.Y installation by using a method that allows participants to explore the stories of New York through sound.

“In the classic sense, we tend to believe that music can only be created through instruments. I have always understood that music is actually so much more.” says Walter Werzowa, founder of Musikvergnuegen. “Every sound can be designed to be interpreted as music. In this project, the sounds of New York provide an astounding backdrop that transports the participant into their own personal memories from childhood,” adds Werzowa.

Composer Creates Sounds and City Noise to Transport Listeners to Sentimental Memories of Life in New York

Sound design expert Walter Werzowa collaborates with artist Garson Yu to invoke recollections through sound as listeners become active participants throughout the T.I.N.Y installation.

“We often forget about music until the end but this project could simply not exist without a unique sound design. Garson and I shared a specific vision for the subway installation and he trusted me to perfect the soundscape in a way that would spark the memories of our participants,” says Werzowa. “I began by building a three minute intro piece with a defined 108 beats per minute. Eventually I ended up working day and night for a week until I came up with 15 minutes of sound. This type of sound design is beautiful and innovative because of the subtleties incorporated into the piece. A sound of a seagull is no longer just a seagull, it’s music.”

T.I.N.Y at Pier 57 explores the concept of New York as a living organism. Visitors become active participants as they are guided through a series of shipping containers that are linked to resemble a subway train. The visitors will be enveloped by sounds and images as they move through the train, sparking memories of life experiences in New York. Visitors will also have the ability to create vocal and percussive sounds within the installation by speaking through microphones and physically pounding objects against the containers themselves. Along with the audio track of the subway rumbling, the sound output will mimic the aural world of a child through the echoes of a playground, a school, music, etc. Participants will be encouraged to connect with the sounds by physically holding their ears up to the walls of the container.

The “magic carpet” sculptural installation of 36 hanging shipping containers was designed by Madrid based architecture firm CH+QS Arquitectos.  Major support for the installation was also provided by projection powerhouse Christie Digital.

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