Site/Sound was a unique new festival that took place in October 2019 to celebrate the past, present, and future of Philadelphia’s Rail Park. Through community workshops, panels, tours, and performances, temporary audio-visual art installations and diverse music performances brought to life a shared urban space from the tracks and thoroughfares that were once the terminus of the mighty Reading Railroad.
Though Site/Sound has come to a close, you can explore this website to learn more about the groundbreaking projects and how they helped us reimagine Philadelphia’s Rail Park.
Introducing Site/Sound
Sites
Along the path of the current and future Rail Park, three temporary audio-visual installations brought public space to life in October 2019.
Installations
Aspect 281
Site is wheelchair accessible.
Installation open Thurs–Sun, 5–9 p.m.
A multimedia work inspired by the importance of railroading in Philadelphia’s development, and the signaling technology that made it possible.
Soon/ Now/ Gone
October 12 / Shamokin Street between North 11th Street & Ridge Avenue
October 19 / Under the Carlton Street Tunnel, between North 11th & North 12th Streets
All sites are wheelchair accessible.
At three different locations, Soon/ Now/ Gone engages with the Rail Park's history as a space for movement.
Moon Viewing Platform
Viewing sites are wheelchair accessible. Projections on view every night dusk–midnight.
Moon Viewing Platform turns an inhospitable and disused stretch of open-air land into a large-scale performance space, featuring nighttime projections and more.
Schedule
Past Events
October 5
October 6
Rail Park Walking Tour
Join Friends of the Rail Park board members for a street-level walking tour and explore…
Voices of the Neighborhood with Ali Ruffner & Ben Emmanuel
Experience the Rail Park through the voices of five long-term neighbors who have lived through…
October 8
Taiko Drumming with KyoDaiko
Honoring the people of Asian descent who were instrumental in the construction of American railroads,…
October 10
Chinatown Anti-Displacement Walk
Beginning in the heart of Chinatown, this special tour led by the Philadelphia Chinatown Development…
Community Workshop at the 2019 YeShi Chinatown Night Market
At each Community Workshop, join us to make a special object that you can use…
October 11
muraLAB: Art-Making and Public Spaces
A Design Philadelphia event. Why does public art matter? How does it inspire wonder and…
October 12
Family Day
With Asian Arts Initiative and Philadelphia Community Development Corporation. This fun family day includes interactive…
October 13
Mural Arts Specialty Tour
Join us for a special walking tour led by a professionally-trained Mural Arts tour guide!…
October 15
Smashboards to Bugs: An Insider Look at the Evolution of Railroad Signaling with Historian John Hepp
Join us for talk with Historian John Hepp, who will take us through the history…
October 16
Storytelling with Auntie Kym
Auntie Kym, created by artist Kymberlee Johnson-Norfleet, will host an evening featuring personal stories and…
October 17
CANCELED: BYODinner x Film Screening: Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival + cinéSPEAK present 9-Man
DUE TO THE WEATHER, THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELED. A BYODinner and screening of Ursula…
October 18
Homegrown with Pecola Breedlove & The Freedom Party
Pecola Breedlove & The Freedom Party is a gathering space for poets, lovers of poetry,…
October 19
Mandala Meditation with Bethesda Project
In partnership with Bethesda Project, watch and reflect as scholar, artist, and former Buddhist monk…
Stories
Site/Sound: Revealing the Rail Park Moon Viewing Platform
For Site/Sound: Revealing the Rail Park, Nadia Hironaka, Matt Suib, and Eugene Lew teamed up…
Observations on Aspect 281 and Site/Sound: Revealing the Rail Park
Urbanist philosopher Henri Lefebvre used the term rythmanalysis to name his method of analyzing the…
Reflections on Moon Viewing Platform
I hear pre-recorded, syncopated music with a voice reciting Japanese numbers, “ichi, ni, san, shi,…
Reflections on Aspect 281
In the Pennsylvania system of railroad signaling, Rule 281 means “all clear and proceed.” The…
Reflections on Soon/ Now/ Gone
Jenna Horton’s wide eyes and multi-directional cowlicked hair gives the impression that she has just…
What is Site/Sound?
This October, look forward to a unique collaborative project in partnership with Friends of the…
In the News
About
Through soundscapes, large-scale projections, pop-up experiences, film screenings, live music and dance performances, special tours, and family programming, Site/Sound will activate the Rail Park’s current quarter-mile of elevated green space—while inviting the public to envision its future path, both above and below the cityscape. The three core installations take place in various locations bounded by Vine & Spring Garden Streets and 9th & 18th Streets.
Curator
Gene Coleman
Gene Coleman is a composer, musician, and director. A 2014 Guggenheim Fellow and the winner of the 2013 Berlin Prize for Music, he has created over 70 works for various instrumentation and media. Coleman makes innovative use of sound, image, space, and time to create work that expands our understanding of the world. Since 2001, his work has focused on the global transformation of culture and music’s relationship with science, architecture, and new media. Coleman has been the composer-in-residence at numerous sites including the American Academy in Berlin and has been a guest artist and lecturer at many universities, including Hong Kong University and the University of Pennsylvania. In 2016, Coleman launched the Algo.Institute, a research and creation network of composers, scientists, technologists, and artists from various disciplines. He is the artistic director of Soundfield, a producing organization, and director of “Ensemble Noamnesia,” a new music group. In 2016, he was named Director of the American Composers Forum, Philadelphia Chapter.