New York City Will Soon Be Tagged With "Sound Graffiti"

Starting May 2nd, NYC-based creative agency CNNCTD+ will be tagging the city with "sound graffiti" as part of CNNCTD+100, a project that aims to highlight cross-pollination between fashion, music, street art, nightlife and youth culture via sound recordings placed throughout Manhattan. The recordings will feature music, dialogue, readings or instructions and are curated by 100 different creative types, including artist Cindy Sherman, James Franco, Santigold, Paz de la Huerta, Nicola Formichetti and PAPER's own Mr. Mickey, and can be heard via "Playbuttons" (a cross between a wearable pin and an mp3 player).


All 100 Playbuttons will be on display during a private show at the New Museum on May 1st before they hit the streets. CNNCTD+'s founder Roman Grandinetti told us highlights from the project include a Playbutton located at 39th and Broadway that features 30 fashion designers -- like Nanette Lepore and Rebecca Minkoff -- talking about their love of the Fashion District and another, installed next to a Jason Woodside mural on Kenmare St., between Elizabeth and Bowery, that describes the street art.  "It's one of the first interactive murals in the city -- you can plug [your headphones] into the wall and the [Playbutton] tells you what the mural is about," says Grandinetti. 


Though you won't get to hear what Paz de la Huerta or James Franco have to say for themselves until next week, keep an eye out for the sound graffiti anyway as there are a few buttons promoting the New Museum show already installed in locations like the corner of Bleecker and Mott or right outside The Standard Hotel. Grandinetti says that CNNCTD+ plans to bring the one-day show to Paris, London, Japan and Art Basel Miami and to add tastemakers from those locales.  They're also finalizing a smartphone app that will let users access an interactive map showing all of the various locations used throughout the city.

As for what will happen to these Playbuttons?  There's no expiration date. "We're going to keep them going forever," Grandinetti says.