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Garfield Park is a 128-acre regional city park on the southside of Indianapolis that was established in the late-19th century. Today, it is the oldest city park in Indianapolis and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This park is home to the Sunken Garden—a place that sits like an oasis out of time. Designed by German immigrant George Kessler in the early-1910s after the establishment of the park. The formal European-style garden is a compelling juxtaposition of old world allure and modern urban grit that exists today. The Sunken Garden is comprised of field recordings taken from the four corners of the garden. An archive of sounds that capture the buzz of highways, fountains, and of the human vibrancy coming from the surrounding working class neighborhoods. These sound bites are immersed in a pastoral wash of choral drone and dreamlike piano in the final track. The Sunken Garden is a meditation on timelessness and the overlap of generational energy in a single place. This track is meant to tie together the past, present, and future of a place.

Duration: 05:02
Year: 2016
Commissioned by: Sound Expeditions

City Water

The Sunken Garden