In “The Response: Echoes Beneath the Rain,” artist and composer Olive Toran charted a sonic geography of weather and witness—where storms were not just events, but entities. There, the rain and wind were the great observers, and we were in dialogue with them.

This immersive sonic installation and exhibit unfolded in three continuous movements—Before, During, and After the Storm—looped to reflect the rhythms of nature and collective response. Original compositions by Olive Toran, Natie, and Brittany Harris blended with field recordings of storms and waterways captured by Olive Toran, layered with the voices and memories of the Rainproof NYC community.

As visitors moved through the space—viewing images of birds before the storm, witnessing Rainproof NYC communities in action, and engaging in a speculative activity on repair—they also visited Rainproof groups tabling their work. The soundscape shifted: ambient tones swelled into turbulence, voices emerged and receded, and silence became its own kind of presence. It was a space of listening—not only to one another, but to the elements themselves.

Echoes Beneath the Rain invited us to hear storms not only as forces, but as witnesses—asking what we might learn when we treated weather as a partner, not just a condition.

The water was rising. So was our response.

This intallation was curated by Olive in collaboration with Rainproof NYC and Rebuild by Design, July 17, 2025

View event program here