Sound As Sight: Paralytic Transit - The Sounds Of The CTA Blue Line

by Andy Slater

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Paralytic Transit 04:27
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“Paralytic Transit” is a non-fictional sound piece that explores the nuance of Chicago’s most historical sonic landscapes.

Some of Chicago’s most recognizable sounds are that of the CTA subway and elevated trains. These sounds symbolize a passage home, a public space for cultural coexistence, and the daily routine. As a blind passenger the sheer loudness of the trains overcomes my sense of hearing and can freeze me where I stand. Being caught under the tEl racks as a train passes overhead can be a traumatic experience for any blind person, but when the trains aren’t being intimidating the sounds they make can be beautiful, mysterious, and just plain weird.

This piece is composed from over 3 hours of recorded Blue Line travel. The roaring cars bellowing throughout the underground tunnels, the din created by the hums and rattles of motors and vents, the breath and thuds of the opening and closing doors, and the grinding of the exit gate of the California stop lead the listener through this rich sonic narrative.

“Paralytic Transit” is part of the Sound As Sight field recording project for the blind. Sound As Sight has been funded by a grant from The Cliff Dwellers Club and is supported by High Concept Labs and the Society Of Visually Impaired Sound Artists. Some of the content appears in the multichannel sound installation, “A Space For the Overactive Ear” created during Slater’s 3Arts/Bodies Of Work fellowship at UIC and funded by a grant from the National Endowment For The Arts.

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released April 11, 2018

Sounds Andy Slater
Photo Jennifer Justice
Photo of a CTA elevated train approaching a a platform. Rooftops of townhouses run parallel with the elevated track.

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