Soundscape Installation: A Bell for Every Minute

A Bell For Every Minute is composed of recorded sounds from 59 bells from all over New York City and beyond. Sounds range from the iconic rings of the New York Stock Exchange bell, the historic Dreamland bell (recorded days after it was discovered in the water off Coney Island), the United Nation's Peace Bell, and more everyday and personal sounds of bike bells, diner bells, and neighborhood church bells. 

During park hours an individual bell will ring each minute from speakers placed throughout the tunnel space where it will be installed, the overtones fading out as the next bell begins. A chorus of the selected bells will play at the top of each hour, filling the space. 

The sounds, represented on a physical sound map, identifies the location of each bell, allowing the listener to follow the geographic journey of the recordings. Collectively, the bells are a microcosm of the urban landscape as they relate to the sounds captured throughout the daily life in New York City. 

The site becomes activated by the composition, inviting the passerby to engage with the High Line and its connection to the city around it. Source: The High Line ,

In these two short  videos sound artist Stephen Vitiello discusses his soundscape installation designed for New York's High Line Park, which opened in June 2010 at the 14th Street Passage, between West 13th Street and West 14th Street. 

Stephen Vitiello: A Bell For Every Minute (2:30)  Note: video is shorter than time marker indicates.

A Bell for Every Minute (1:34)