World Day of Social Justice & NYC Underground

"Social justice is an underlying principle for peaceful and prosperous coexistence within and among nations. We uphold the principles of social justice when we promote gender equality or the rights of indigenous peoples and migrants. We advance social justice when we remove barriers that people face because of gender, age, race, ethnicity, religion, culture or disability." 
United Nations



"In this crucial year for global development, as Member States work to craft a post-2015 agenda and a new set of sustainable development goals, let us do our utmost to eradicate all forms of human exploitation. Let us strive to build a world of social justice where all people can live and work in freedom, dignity and equality."

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon Message for the 2015 World Day of Social Justice

"The gap between the poorest and the wealthiest around the world is wide and growing. This situation is not only between countries but within them, including many of the most prosperous. (...) Circumstances such as where a person is born, where they live or their gender and ethnicity should never determine their income or their opportunities for quality education, basic healthcare, decent work, adequate shelter, access to drinking water, political participation or living free from threatened, or actual, physical violence."

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon Message for the 2014 World Day of Social Justice



The gap between poor and wealthy is illustrated in a very creative way by Brian Foo.

"I was looking for a dataset that would yield a song with some exciting ups and downs, and ideally, would relate to a topic that is relevant and current. When I was looking at a graph of income inequality along the 2 Train, it looked like the perfect song composition with a build-up, climax, and falling action. I thought the subway train would be the perfect vehicle for this type of project because the sonification of data requires the passing of time. So instead of looking at the data all at once on a chart, with a song, you can ride and experience the data as if you were actually taking the train."

For his "Sonification of Income Inequality", Brian Foo chose the 2 Train on the NYC Subway to demonstrate income inequality with sounds. NYC was an appropriate choice as it "has a particularly large problem with income inequality compared to other cities". The 2 Train goes through the three buroughs Brooklyn, Manhattan, and the Bronx. The song is the result of 63 samples created by NCY-based musicians. The quantity and dynamics of the song's instrument change and reflect the median household income of the area where the trains stops. The median income was taken from the 2011 US Census Data Release. Foo compressed the 1 hour 45 minutes ride to about four minutes (more/via).

::: Here is Foo's most fascinating sonification: WATCH/LISTEN



photographs of NYC underground by Danny Lyon (New Year's Eve 1966) via and via and via and via and via and via and via and via and via and via and via and via and via and via