The Saint Urbain Underpass is a 250-meter long viaduct in Montreal that connects St. Urbain and Van Horne. The performance – a site-specific composition- took place at midnight, combining horn, field recordings, and live electronics, amplified through speakers spanning the length of the tunnel. Listeners sat along the bike path, and the sounds of passing trains, cars, and bicycles became instruments in the performance. The horn played back the frequencies of the 60Hz electric hum present in the environment.

The performance was recorded with binaural microphones and independently released on vinyl. The record was launched at the same location on June 11, 2012, as part of the Suoni per Il Popolo festival.

Credits

Performance by Jen Reimer + Max Stein
Presented in collaboration with Suoni per Il Popolo (2011/12) and Ghosts of Public Spaces/Actions! (2012)

Photos by Zsofia Zambo, Louis Rastelli, Marcella Moser, Ximena Holuigue & Alannah Clamp
Video captured by Marcella Moser and Jordan Mackenzie
Sound captured by Lisa Gamble/ Mastered by James Plotkin