NPR Feature/Xan Palay
by All Things Considered
The first in an NPR series called "Lost and Found Sounds"
The first in an NPR series called "Lost and Found Sounds"
ROBERT SIEGEL, host:
We have been listening to what our listeners listen to. We're collecting snippets of evocative environmental sounds that you have brought to our attention. Animal sounds, mysterious sounds, and a lot of industrial sounds, which we started featuring this week along with the stories behind them.
XAN PALAY (Columbus, Ohio): My name is Xan Palay. I'm a sculptor based in Columbus, Ohio and I recorded, in 1997, a sound - the sound of an overhead crane passing through a metal shed at the Columbus Pipe Company in Columbus, Ohio.
(Soundbite of crane)
Ms. PALAY: The metal shed is about as big as a football field, and I think it's about two stories tall. And when I would go to pick up metal stock, I would be overwhelmed by the sound of this huge crane moving from one end of the building to another end of the building.
(Soundbite of crane)
Ms. PALAY: I've used the sound in an installation I did in 2002 and I keep it on CD, in case it comes in handy again. Because it's such a strange thing and so hard to identify, but so involving and overwhelming.
(Soundbite of crane)
SIEGEL: A sound from an Ohio steel warehouse. It was sent to us by sculptor, Xan Palay.
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