John Morton, the New York musician famous for his elaborate music box-aided compositions, has apparently talked the city and Central Park into allowing him to use the pedestrian tunnel just north of the zoo as a site for an audio installation, Central Park Sound Tunnel, set to run through September. Morton covertly stalked the park for around 40 days, secretly recording various sounds–people arguing, the stray sounds of a baseball game, etc. A computer program randomizes the resulting myriad sound files, which are then triggered to play in 20-minute bursts by the sound of the nearby George Delacorte clock. The Times turns this entertaining bit of local color up:
Entertainingly irritating sound samples from the installation can be found here.
Sound Tunnel: Avant-Garde Park Portrait [NY Times]