The Invisible Suburb (2019)

On World Listening Day, Thursday, July 18, from 7–9 p.m., Phonography Austin will present The Invisible Suburb, an outdoor sonic art installation, in the Onion Creek Greenbelt at 7306 Onion Creek Drive, Austin, Texas 78731.

The Invisible Suburb will feature recordings made in and around the homes of Austin artists, evoking the traces of domestic life that once permeated the Onion Creek neighborhood, where evidence of former habitations is steadily becoming overtaken by nature. Through speakers nestled among tall grass and other plant life, participants will hear an audible reference to the neighborhood's residential past while seeing and feeling the verdure of its future. It will be a respectful and gentle rememberance, using domestic sounds, to acknowledge the daily lives of the people who lived there and made it home.

The installation includes recordings made by Henna Chou, Anne Fichtner, Vanessa Gelvin, Travis Putnam Hill, Neal B. Johnson, Alex Keller, Lacey Lewis, Christopher McConnell, Daniy Oberle, Sean O'Neill, Travis Pope, Josh Ronsen, Christy Tappe and Jackson Warren.

World Listening Day is an annual global event held on July 18 to celebrate the listening practices of the world and the ecology of its acoustic environments, and raise awareness about the creative exploration of acoustic ecology through educational initiatives that explore these concepts and practices. Phonography Austin was founded to host Austin's first World Listening Day event in 2016.