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 Anthropocene.

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 at Amherst College) recorded rats on the streets of NYC using an ultrasonic microphone. He then pitch-shifted those recordings into the range of human hearing, capturing the uncanny speech-like sounds of rat communication. In this episode, “Become Rat,” House tells a story about ultrasonic soundscapes, Urban Intonation, and the ecological relationships between humans and the Norwegian Brown Rat in New York City. All proceeds from this episode will be donated to Word Up Community Bookshop, a multilingual and collectively owned bookshop and arts space in Washington Heights. 

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 this episode, “The Black Bean,” Hannibal Bracey tells a story about his personal love of coffee, the emerging Black coffee culture movement in New York City, his family’s dedication to activism, and the colonial legacy of coffee production and consumption. For him, ecological change is not just environmental, but social as well. And that change comes about “one cup at a time.” All proceeds from this episode will be donated to Together We Thrive, an NYC-based coalition that provides access to capital, social networks and technical assistance to support the survival, success and sustainability of Black-owned businesses.

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 currently face today.  In this episode, “Compost Cycles,” Renée Crowley (Deputy Director of the Lower East Side Ecology Center) tells a story about a local compost program in New York City. Crowley discusses how the creation, collection, processing, and reuse and integration of food-waste is a cyclical process and sustainable application of our food resources.  All proceeds from this episode will be donated to the Lower East Side Ecology Center, a community-based organization that offers e-waste and composting services, environmental stewardship opportunities, and educational programming to all New Yorkers.

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, and how to listen to a landscape. Drawing from his research and sensory ethnography practice, Simpson leads us along coyote paths that run throughout Pugsley Creek Park, along Westchester Creek, and throughout Ferry Point Park in the Bronx. We’re able to hear the extent of noise pollution within these environments, and the ways coyotes and humans can co-create city spaces. What can we learn about New York City, about our notions of a “wild” nature, and about environmental change as we walk along the pathways of coyotes?  All proceeds from this episode will be donated to the Gotham Coyote Project, a collective of researchers, educators, and students working together to study the ecology of the northeastern coyote in New York City and the region.

“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,” Chris Goodrich (who performs in drag as Analee Fisher, @analeefisher), tells a story about his parody song “Terraformin’ Mars,” and how the political energy of drag can be important to environmental advocacy. Goodrich, in conversation with Cacophony Daniels (“The Belty Broad from Broadway,” @cacophonydaniels), discusses the history of drag, its current political spotlight, and the ways that queer voices and perspectives are crucial to shaping a better future.  All proceeds from this episode will be donated to Housing Works, a healing community of people living with and affected by HIV/AIDS who are dedicated to ending the dual crises of homelessness and AIDS through relentless advocacy, the provision of lifesaving services, and supporting entrepreneurs.

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 and owner of the DIY fashion brand, Forest and Thread) tells a story about the garment-making process, the fashion industry, and the environmental impacts of clothing production and consumption. All proceeds from this episode will be donated to FABSCRAP, a textile reuse and recycle non-profit run out of Brooklyn.

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 Young (social action artist and founder of Earth Celebrations) tells a story about her inspiration for social and environmental activism, the development of the Lower East Side community gardens, and the 2023 Ecological City processional. As you listen to street bands, music performances, puppet making, and other sounds from this year’s Ecological City event, you can hear how the arts are vital to effecting social and environmental change. All proceeds from this episode will be donated to Earth Celebrations, a non-profit organization on the Lower East Side that engages communities to generate environmental and social change through the arts.

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 possibilities of an NYC water culture, and the extent to which soundscapes can alter our perception of environmental change. As part of this narrative, you will be able to hear excerpts from the collaborative project, The Soothing Sounds of the Superfund Sites—a three volume album that features recordings from six different superfund locations along New York City waterways. The tension between the soothing sound of a site and the description of its hazardous material creates an interesting dialogue between water and urban culture. All proceeds from this episode will be donated to the Tideland Institute, a collective that connects New Yorkers to their harbor by building on-water opportunities for physical access, celebration, and creative engagement. 

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 Director of The Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space) tells a story about biking in New York City, the establishment of the environmental group Time’s Up, and the role of grassroots and community-led initiatives in shaping sustainable urban design. Di Paola reflects on the ways that group bike rides build a sense of community and how that sense of community becomes a means for making the city a safer and environmentally healthier place. All proceeds from this episode will be donated to Time’s Up, a grassroots environmental group that uses educational outreach and direct action to promote a more sustainable, less toxic city.

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.