Water Towers Of New York

BBC Radio 3, ‘Between the Ears’ , 2017

Winner of Silver Award in Arts Doc category New York Festivals 2018.

Over one day in April we stand perched on a rooftop of the Chelsea district of NY. We witness the decommissioning of an iconic wooden water tower and then watch the stages of the assembly of a new tank.

It’s put together like a jigsaw puzzle until everything is in place and the tank can be filled with water. It’s taken eleven hours – and the tenants of the building perhaps appreciate their water tank for the first time. The tank will be good for about thirty years.

Award winning sound designer Jon Nicholls builds a magical soundscape from the recording of the day of the tower’s assembly. He makes the sounds of construction and the cries of the work crew, musical, haunting and ethereal.

We weave in conversations with artists inspired by the water towers.
Rachel Whiteread and New York sculptor Tom Fruin have made life size towers out of resin and Perspex. Photographer Ronnie Farley not only spent 20 years taking pictures of New York's skyline but also has one in her loft apartment. We visit the Museum of Modern Art and hear how Whiteread's sculpture is a permanent fixture – it’s been overlooking the sculpture garden for twenty years. In contrast, we talk to the creators of a very ephemeral art event - the organizers of a pop up speakeasy nightclub for 12 guests in a decommissioned tank on the roof of a deserted building. 

Sound design & mix: Jon Nicholls

Producer for the BBC: Judith Kampfner