Earlier this month, Mobile Commons worked with StoryCorps to debut their Lower Manhattan audio walking tour. The tour is a “location-based media sound ramble” that features a selection of stories from New York’s Lower Manhattan neighborhoods, such as the Bowery, Greenwich Village, and the Lower East Side.
StoryCorps, for those who aren’t familiar with it, records and shares the true life stories from tens of thousands of Americans. Their goal – in their own words – is to
remind one another of our shared humanity, strengthen and build the connections between people, teach the value of listening, and weave into the fabric of our culture the understanding that every life matters. At the same time, we will create an invaluable archive of American voices and wisdom for future generations.
The “sound ramble” was a selection of geo-located stories that guided the listener along and across Lower Manhattan. StoryCorps debuted the tour as part of the New Museum’s StreetFest Festival of Ideas, a coming-together of creative and community groups from across Downtown Manhattan. The purpose was to “harness the power of the creative community to imagine the future city and explore the ideas destined to shape it.”
By bringing together a selection of stories in a personal and innovative way, StoryCorps’ tour served as both an aural reminder of our city’s past, and a forward-looking vision of how technology can enrich our future.
For those who weren’t able to make the ramble, go here to try out a section of the tour.