Producers plan sonic memorial for N.Y. disaster
Originally published in Current, Oct. 8, 2001
By Karen Everhart BedfordThrough an impromptu collaboration with the telecom company Verizon, producers of Lost and Found Sound will issue a call this week for "sonic artifacts" from the World Trade Center and the people who worked there.
Verizon, which provided telecom services to most businesses located in the Trade Center, is establishing a system by which survivors of the Sept. 11 attack, and the families of those who died or remain missing, can claim and—if they wish—share voice mail messages left that day.
NPR is setting up a another voice mailbox through which listeners and the general public can share their stories about the events of Sept. 11 [2001] and since, and describe audio artifacts that they're willing to contribute. The NPR line, (202) 408-0300, will begin operating Oct. 11, when the New York Times will publish a story on public radio's "sonic memorial" to people lost at the World Trade Center.
"Ideally, this will be used in a sonic memorial radio story," said Davia Nelson, executive producer of Lost and Found Sound. "The image is like the AIDS quilt or the Vietnam Memorial, but in sound, some way—elements of homemade things that we stitch together in some intimate and more universal way."
At this point, collaborators in the project aren't trying to resolve format or funding questions; their mission is to collect the audio before it disappears. "My sights right now are on the gathering of these endangered species," added Nelson. "We see ourselves as the keepers of some part of the nation's sonic and oral history."
Verizon voice mail narrowly escaped deletion by an automated "janitor system" and will be preserved for two months while the company fulfills requests for cassette copies.
Atlantic Public Media's Transom.org, an electronic workshop and forum for public radio storytellers, first began gathering and posting material on "The Days That Follow," a collection of audio created before, during and after the World Trade Center attacks. Producer Jay Allison, also an e.p. of Lost and Found Sound with Nelson and Nikki Silva, described efforts to gather audio as "constructing a timeline of public radio evidence about this event."
Several prominent public radio producers are contributing to the memorial, including David Isay of Sound Portraits and Joe Richman of Radio Diaries, as well as producers at WNYC, New York, and KQED, San Francisco.
Ideas for the memorial are much broader than a collection of voice mail, which would appear ghoulish or exploitative if not treated delicately. "We also want to commemorate the life that that building held, what people's daily business there was, what were sonic expressions that they captured," said Nelson. On the NPR message line, she said, "we'll be asking people to tell us what they think should happen—not only with their sound—but also to imagine what this memorial could be."
A similar voice mail submission system generated a wave of material for the original Lost and Found Sound series, a retrospective of recorded sound and life in the 20th century. It debuted in 1999 as a weekly feature of All Things Considered and returns soon with monthly installments. "Keeping this going allowed us to be together to think of this," Nelson said.
On Sept. 11, she learned about a sound artist who had just completed work on an audio tour of the World Trade Center towers, and requested a copy for a possible story on NPR. "None of us had heard the tape, but we thought it would be so chilling and moving." It turned out to be a rather dry, factual summary for tourists looking out over the city from an observation deck on the Center's 101st floor.
"That started us thinking—what are all the waves of sound that none of us thought of?" Noah Miller, a former Lost and Found Sound intern, wondered aloud about the voice mail messages.
In the days that followed, Nelson felt it was inappropriate to propose retrieving the messages, but "gently tried to put the word out" by calling a correspondent at the New York Times.
She also called NPR. Because of the creative collaborations and phone system established for Lost and Found Sound, "we already had faith in what happens when you put out a call and it touches a nerve."
Next year's anniversary of the World Trade Center attack will be a "natural time" for the sonic memorial to reach the air, "but maybe it will be something different." There's no funding for the project, but that's not inhibiting efforts yet.
"I trust that this is the right thing to be doing," Nelson said, "and out of this something will come of value."
Later announcement
on NPR's websiteSEARCHING FOR SOUND
A SONIC MEMORIAL
SEPTEMBER 11, 2001
PLEASE JOIN USWe are a group of National Public Radio producers who are gathering together to create a sonic memorial to commemorate and chronicle the people, places and endeavors that made up the life and history of the World Trade Center. Our desire to pay tribute has led to a nationwide collaboration, spearheaded by Lost & Found Sound, that includes NPR, transom.org, WNYC, Sound Portraits, Verizon, KQED San Francisco and a team of independent radio producers throughout the country. We are seeking the kinds of daily audio recordings that create the accidental documentaries of our lives — our voicemail, phone messages, home recordings, dictation tapes, recorded business transactions, business voicemails.
This includes messages that hold the voices of those lost on September 11, captured in the course of their ordinary business days. Other valuable audio includes corporate videos, audio that was housed at unaffected offices in other locations, tourist videos, video e-mails (v-mails) sent from the top of The World Trade Tower on the 107th floor Observation Deck, etc. Any related recordings or suggestion of people you think we should contact will be greatly appreciated. The audio materials we collectively gather may be shaped for national and local radio broadcasts, incorporated into various on-site memorials, or donated to a public archive. The final form this audio project takes will be determined by what is gathered in the coming months.
WAYS TO PARTICIPATE
If you have personal recordings and remembrances that you feel would be appropriate for this project the first step is to call NPR's special voicemail line at 202-408-0300 and describe your material to us. What is it? How does it relate to the history of the World Trade Center and/or the events of September 11? What is the format of the recording (cassette, videotape, etc.)? You can also call this number to leave remembrances and stories that will be gathered and preserved. This number may also be used if you would like more information about sending audio artifacts, voicemail tapes or if you have any other questions.
Verizon has generously agreed to maintain the voicemail messages that were left for anyone in the World Trade Center who had a Verizon voicemail account so they can be preserved. Calling 1-800-435-7986 (1-800-HELP-986) you will be asked for your phone number and voicemail password. Upon verification, Verizon will mail to you a cassette copy of your voicemail messages. This number may also be used to retrieve the voicemail of immediate family who were lost on September 11. Verizon will ask for a name and will verify the caller's relationship before sending voicemail copies.
NPR Sonic Memorial Line:
(202) 408-0300Verizon Voice Mail Cassette Line:
1-800-435-7986
(1-800-HELP-986)
Web page posted Oct. 10, 2001, revised Oct. 25, 2001
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