Old landscape image of Pittsburgh, with a focus on the river. A large 'X' has been written on the top of the image by hand.

Close your eyes and imagine the sounds of Pittsburgh. What is the first thing you hear? What are the iconic sounds of this city? Narduli Studio is creating an immersive soundspace for the new terminal at Pittsburgh International Airport. This public artwork will leverage collected sounds of the region and real-time data to produce a dynamic and responsive experience for passengers and we need your help to create it!

If you love Pittsburgh

Share the sounds that make it home

About the Project

Monotone rendered image of an escalator. The view is from the top of the escalator.

Do you have a sound to share?

We want to hear from you!

Immersion: a Pittsburgh Sound Portrait was commissioned by the Allegheny County Airport Authority for its new terminal at PIT. It is sited within the vertical expanse of the public escalators and touches every level of the building. The realtime, generative soundspace spans the departure and arrivals paths to connect the city, the region and the community through an art experience.

The artwork weaves together three different types of sound: Captured Sound, Collected Sound and Data Generated Sound. Some sounds will be recorded for this project and some will be gathered from existing sources. Given that this is an experience designed for an audience in motion through time and space, travelers moving at a fixed rate along the escalator will hear a dynamic progression of sounds as they ascend or descend.

Immersion was conceived foremost as a welcoming gesture, and a means to bring a diverse group of people together in a shared experience. It aims at creating a unique and memorable experience of Pittsburgh through a soundspace that captures the city's identity. The artwork is always changing as regional open source datasets such as weather or events reflect the rhythms of the region and bring a real-world context into the composition's narrative.

Terminal Renders courtesy of Gensler
Monotone rendered image of an escalator. The escalator is viewed from a roughly three quarters angle from its lower level.

How to Participate

This Public Call for Sounds is an opportunity to engage communities in identifying the sounds that make Pittsburgh home. It aims to explore the auditory tapestry of this legendary city and highlight its diverse and dynamic nature through individual submissions.

Who Should Submit?

Anyone who has a connection to Pittsburgh and the surrounding region. If you live in Pittsburgh or around Pittsburgh, or if you used to live here, we want to hear your ideas. If you visited for a week or a day and have a memorable sound idea or recording to share, please do!

An old aerial photograph of pittsburgh - showing the city, and the river, sky, and the surrounding wilderness

For contemporary / site-specific sounds:

  • The closest street address and/or GPS coordinates where the sound can be heard.
  • Times of day or year when one could expect to hear the sound.
  • If you're submitting a sound idea for us to record - let us know what to listen for.
  • A personal reflection on why the sound is meaningful - both to you individually and to the city as a whole.

To suggest historic or other sounds, please send:

  • The best recorded sample in the highest quality file you have.
  • A written explanation of the meaning and significance of the sound, as well as any other relevant information.
  • If samples are on inaccessible formats, or you’re worried about damaging the sample source, get in touch with us at Inquiries@narduli.studio.
Submit An Entry

Narduli

Studio