Former LCD Soundsystem frontman James Murphy is looking to spice up his hometown New York City and plans on doing so by creating a "subway symphony." The (for now) theoretical project will consist of subway station turnstiles that play notes...to theoretically perform pieces of music just by swiping a metro card and entering.
"Subway Symphony is a little idea I had to change the sound of the subway turnstiles into different pieces of music, depending on what station you're entering," Murphy explains in a new video with a behind-the-scenes look at the project. "I think if people are willing to do what it takes to live and work here - the commutes, the crowd, the costs - they deserve a little sonic gift on their way home or to work, or wherever."
The Subway Symphony plan has actually been growing in Murphy's head for more than 15 years, but now he's got a corporate sponsor working behind him. Heineken and its "Open Your City" campaign, a promotion for bringing art projects to life in major American cities, have joined to assist Murphy in inspiring a grassroots campaign.
Sounds like a pretty good idea, that everyone can get behind. Everyone except for the only organization that matters in the final decision: The MTA. The transit authority has been rebuffing Murphy for years apparently, and new pressure hasn't led them to buckle yet. The current, non-musical tones are in place to assist blind subway riders, and the "Subway Symphony" idea, while idealistic, might hurt the cause. Adam Lisberg of the MTA acknowledged that it would be a "very cool project" but that New York couldn't feasibly make it work.
"We have heard from him, and as we've told him many times, we cannot do it," he told The Gothamist in an interview. "The tones are an ADA element for the visually impaired, and we won't mess with them-much less take turnstiles out of service and risk disabling them for an art project."
Bummer. Understandable, but a bummer nonetheless.
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