How Philadelphians Had A Role In Creating A 250 Mile Audible Map of Philadelphia

Several Philadelphia residents had a role in creating “250 Miles Crossing Philadelphia” a new city narrative created by PolakVanBekkum, a Netherlands-based artist duo comprised of Esther Polak and Ivar van Bekkum.

For the project, Polak and van Bekkum divided the city into a grid and asked volunteers to make recordings from each sector. The participants captured all sorts of sounds of everyday life, ranging from horses to pilots to postal workers to trolley riders.  To record the sound, participants wore “the beagle,” a small backpack that functioned as a mobile recording device.

Then, to create an audible map of the city for the film, the routes were visualized using Google Earth satellite images, overlaid with the synchronized on-the-ground recordings.

PolakVanBekkum began working on the project in May 2014 with the goal of exploring the intersection of art, science and technology through satellite imagery, GPS and sound recording.

“The 250 Miles Crossing Philadelphia documentary film engages viewers in a voyage through the city through the eyes of distant satellites and close listening to the sounds of humans, animals and objects that move around in it,” said van Bekkum in a press release.

The project also resulted in a website documenting their journey, 250miles.net, with an interactive map as well as a scrim mural at 780 S. 52nd Street, in addition to the 50 minute documentary. The film will have its premiere screening at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 16 at The Rotunda at 4014 Walnut Street.

The project was part of PolakVanBekkum’s residency within the University City Science Center’s public art program, Art Along the Avenue of Technology (AAAT). AAAT was created in partnership with the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority under its Percent for Art program, which requires that at least one percent of the budget for new construction is used for commissioning original works of art. Since the start of the Percent for Art Program in March 1959, nearly 400 works of public art have been installed in all areas of Philadelphia.

“Art Along the Avenue of Technology allowed the Science Center to take the same type of innovative approach to the Percent for Art Program as we do with the work that occurs on our campus every day,” said Stephen S. Tang, Ph.D., MBA, president & CEO of the Science Center, in a press release. “We were delighted that Esther and Ivar’s work had a broader impact beyond the boundaries of our campus, as AAAT extended into the community.”

Image via Esther Polak