Project design Joshua Wolk has developed an interactive digital experience that turns New York City’s subway commute into a musical jazz performance which can be experienced atwww.trainjazz.com. Inspired by the public transport data available, Wolk created a live map to track the city’s trains. Recognising that the visualisation needed a sensory dimension, he introduced music, assigning a different instrument and sonic character to each subway line transforming public transport data into an unexpected sonic experience. The data performs as a musical instrument, using the city’s movement to generate the music. Using real-time location data from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), Train Jazz translates the position of each active train into musical notes. As trains travel along their routes, their movements generate melodies and harmonies that shift throughout the day resulting in a composition that is never repeated.
The website refreshes its data every 15 seconds, making the music a reflection of the city in real time. During rush hour, the increased number of trains creates fuller, more sustained sounds. Late at night, fewer trains produce longer stretches of silence. Individual lines have their own unique sounds, informed by their operational patterns and histories. The website refreshes its data every 15 seconds, making the music a reflection of the city in real time. The project is a living expression of collective movement of a city.
