Reach New York, An Urban Musical Instrument was installed at the 34 St-Herald Sq         station in 1996 as a temporary installation and remained on view until 2026, when it was permanently deinstalled.

Reach New York, An Urban Musical Instrument is a green, rectangular structure suspended from the subway platform. The interactive work engages travelers through sound: when travelers place their hands in front of the box-like apparatus on the subway platform, a burst of musical notes are released on the opposite side, playing to the person on the other side. Their hand motions elicit an outpouring of sounds that evoke urban life and bring about duets between strangers waiting for their respective trains. 

Artist Christopher Janney creates sound sculptures and public art that use sound and motion. This work encourages interaction between participants, and in the artist's words, serves as "a foil for getting total strangers to interact with each other." 

Christopher Janney is a pioneer in the field of sound art, merging architecture, sound, light, and interactive technology. For 30 years, Janney has been blending music and light with the physical space in unexpected ways. His work invites the public to engage and connect and turns spectators into participants. Having studied architecture at Princeton and MIT, Janney is also a trained jazz musician. He has created numerous permanent interactive sound and light installations attempting to make architecture more “spontaneous” and music more “physical.” Janney’s innovative use of technology, sound, and architecture in his projects has won him numerous awards.