Hear Me: Voices of the Epidemic
Overview
Presented throughout World AIDS Day month in December 2020, Hear Me: Voices of the Epidemic was an original, open-space, touch-free sound-and-light installation that transformed the canopy and plaza of the New York City AIDS Memorial. Created as a safe, socially distanced experience during the COVID-19 pandemic, the work utilized advanced directional audio technology and dynamic lighting systems to envelop visitors in a historical and emotional soundscape drawn from the archives of the AIDS crisis.
Project Context & Curatorial Role
As co-curator alongside Theodore (ted) Kerr, I led the curatorial framework, archival research, and spatial production strategy, partnering with engineering firm Arup to integrate state-of-the-art sound and lighting into the permanent architectural structure.
The main daily soundtrack wove together historical speeches, poetry, music, and field recordings. Featured audio included Vito Russo's seminal speech "Why We Fight," music by Michael Callen, ACT UP protest recordings captured by David Wojnarowicz, and poetry by Melvin Dixon and Kia LaBeija—who was born at the former St. Vincent’s Hospital on whose grounds the Memorial stands.
Each morning before the main program, the site activated with a daily audio roll call featuring the names of over 2,000 New Yorkers lost to AIDS—a gesture representing a fraction of the 100,000+ city residents who died during the epidemic. The names were recorded by What Would an HIV Doula Do?, a collective of activists, caregivers, survivors, and people living with HIV today.
Role: Co-curator, with Theodore (ted) Kerr
Date: December 1—31, 2020
Location: New York City AIDS Memorial, New York, NY
Acoustic & Lighting Engineering: Arup
Photography by Ryan Lahiff
