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- Concrete Crickets
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- Sally Herships
New Yorkers are hearing things these days — and it is coming from the bushes.
It is the sound of concrete crickets, little devices created by artist Michael Dory that play bits of music and make cricket-like sounds. Dory hides small sound devices in containers around the city, similar to the way graffiti artists spray paint their art on walls without asking anyone's consent.
The crickets are just loud enough for passersby to hear. And like their namesake, the crickets stop chirping when the curious draw too close — thanks to motion sensors Dory installed in them.
Dory says the idea for the crickets came to him as he watched his lower eastside neighborhood change, becoming too expensive for the artists who lived there.
The concrete crickets, he says, are his way of keeping his voice in the neighborhood.
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Piece Description
New Yorkers are hearing things these days — and it is coming from the bushes.
It is the sound of concrete crickets, little devices created by artist Michael Dory that play bits of music and make cricket-like sounds. Dory hides small sound devices in containers around the city, similar to the way graffiti artists spray paint their art on walls without asking anyone's consent.
The crickets are just loud enough for passersby to hear. And like their namesake, the crickets stop chirping when the curious draw too close — thanks to motion sensors Dory installed in them.
Dory says the idea for the crickets came to him as he watched his lower eastside neighborhood change, becoming too expensive for the artists who lived there.
The concrete crickets, he says, are his way of keeping his voice in the neighborhood.
Broadcast History
Aired on NPR's Day to Day, 10/4/07
Transcript
(Soundbite of music)
PASSER BY 1: What's that? Is that coming from in there or what?
(Soundbite of noise)
PASSER BY 2 (Artist, New York): Now I hear it again. What is that? Do you hear it too?
HERSHIPS: It's 11:00 at night, artist Michael Dory and I are standing on a New York City street corner, watching people react to his newest project.
I was walking behind a guy and I saw the - him in front of me notice and look around and so I did the same. And there's some music playing in the bushes.
Mr. DORY: You'd be walking down the street, somewhere in a largely urban settings, somewhere late at night and you'd hear something ideally pleasing, slightly quiet that you'd be able to sort of go up and explore.
HERSHIPS: Dory calls the pieces concrete crickets. They're tiny, electronic cyber creatures, mini-stereo systems, which are small enough to hide inside of old coffee cups, cigarette c...
Read the full transcript
Intro and Outro
INTRO:So the dictionary defines the word graffiti as unauthorized writing or drawing on a public surface. In other words, it's a visual thing. But artist Michael Dory makes graffiti for the ear.
Sally Herships took an audio adventure to New York with the artist.
OUTRO:Additional Files
- Acts (229923_Concrete_Crickets_Acts_1.mp2)
- Acts 2 (229923_Concrete_Crickets_Acts_2.mp2)
- Ambi (229923_Concrete_Crickets_Ambi_1.mp2)
- Ambi 2 (229923_Concrete_Crickets_Ambi_2.mp2)
- Tracks (229923_Concrete_Crickets_Trax.mp2)
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