Eleven million tonnes of steam
Nov 26, 2019, 11:01 AM
New York steam pipes reimagined by Cities and Memory.
The New York steam system is iconic - known from the big screen as much as from walking around Manhattan, but fewer people know how it works, or indeed what purpose it serves. To many it looks like mysterious gases escaping from the subterranean world of the sewers. The starting point for this piece is the mystery of the steam pipes, and trying to create a piece built around those sounds that feels subterranean, as if the music itself is escaping from a crack in the ground, and drifting around the night skies of Manhattan.
Best listened to on headphones, while walking around midtown Manhattan at 3am.
The New York steam system is iconic - known from the big screen as much as from walking around Manhattan, but fewer people know how it works, or indeed what purpose it serves. To many it looks like mysterious gases escaping from the subterranean world of the sewers. The starting point for this piece is the mystery of the steam pipes, and trying to create a piece built around those sounds that feels subterranean, as if the music itself is escaping from a crack in the ground, and drifting around the night skies of Manhattan.
Best listened to on headphones, while walking around midtown Manhattan at 3am.