Unlocking Underground Soundscapes of the Urban Forest
Walking through the urban landscape can be noisy:
the sound of traffic, public transportation, people bus-
tling through the streets. So much so, it may make the
"natural" areas and elements of the built environment
seem quiet. But, what might listening to nature be like?
What might nature hear? And would hearing a tree or
stream compel us, in new ways, to care for urban nature?
Artist Nikki Lindt, a member of the 2020-21 NaturePLACE
cohort, gave us a look into what nature hears by
bringing to the surface the underground sounds of the
urban forest—and of the natural world more broadly—
through her project The Underground Sound Project.
The Underground Sound Project is a collection of sub-
terranean acoustic recordings taken from various
locations across New York City public park lands and
waters, as well as in rural Cherry Valley, New York. The
project involved the collaboration and co-production
of new knowledge with land managers and scien-
tists across NYC while mixing creativity, imagination,
science, and practice. This work was featured both vir-
tually and as an in-person public soundwalk through
Brooklyn's Prospect Park—such a success that it was
extended to provide more people the opportunity to
experience the magical sounds of plants, water, soil,
and human engagement in the urban environment.
Lindt's work was later incorporated into the environ-
mental education curriculum with NYC Department of
Parks and Recreation, NYC Department of Environmental
Protection, and other organizations. It also inspired new
considerations as to how sounds from our urban environ-
ment might impact wildlife who share the urban forests.
Artist Nikki Lindt listening to the sounds beneath a forest.
Courtesy of Nikki Lindt, 2020-21 NaturePLACE artist.
24 CityTREES
