On three consecutive Saturdays in August (3,10 and 17), seven miles of NYC streets will be opened for hundreds of thousands of people to play, walk, cycle and run between 7 am and 1 pm. Over the past two summers, the Urban Art Program has presented a number of fun, exciting and interactive temporary art interventions along the Summer Streets route. This summer, one of the signature projects is Voice Tunnel at the Park Avenue Tunnel.
Voice Tunnel, an interactive light and sound installation by Mexican-Canadian artist Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, will transform the Park Avenue Tunnel with 300 theatrical spotlights and 150 loudspeakers. The intensity of light along the tunnel is determined by voice recordings of participants who speak into a special intercom at the tunnel's center. Once a recording is finished, the computer plays it back as a loop on all of the loud speakers. At any given time, the tunnel is illuminated by the voices of 75 participants.
In addition, three artists have been selected to present their artwork at Summer Streets 2013. Chat Travieso will present CoolStop, a water mister that will connect to a fire hydrant and provide a safe, efficient and fun way to cool off. Risa Puno's artwork, The Course of Emotions, is a 9-hole miniature golf course inspired by the experience of navigating through our city. Bundith Phunsombatlert has developed, Art Within One Mile, a site-specific installation that invites the public to embark on a self-guided art adventure a short walk off the Summer Streets route. If you don't get a chance to explore during Summer Streets Saturdays, the signage will be on display for the entire month of August. For more information, visit our Summer Streets website or view past Summer Streets interventions on Flickr.