Grand Central is not the most peaceful place (unless, of course, all subway and train service has been shutdown), but the sounds of Grand Central happen to make an oddly soothing soundtrack. As part of Soundscape New York, a new exhibit at the Museum of the City of New York, artist James Welty and architecture professor Karen Van Lengen created a series of videos that capture the sounds of the interiors of famous New York landmarks (h/t Untapped). Van Lengen recorded the audio, and Welty put the sounds to lovely abstract animations. In Grand Central's soundscape, the tinkling of silverware and far-off arrival of trains is coupled with "an oceanic-style animation" made of colors similar to the terminal's famed painted ceiling.
The lobby of 30 Rock sounds more boisterous than Grand Central, and the animation kind of looks like oil slicks along the Gowanus Canalwhich is not a slight. That polluted waterway can be awfully pretty (in photos).
Check out more videos on Untapped and the Museum's website.
· Listen to the Sounds of NYC Buildings in Soundscape New York at Museum of City of NY [Untapped]
· Soundscape New York [MCNY]