Above is a Poster Created for Interview Participation in Detroit
Interviews formed a central part of this project’s research process, not only as a means of gathering information but as a methodological and representational strategy. The research project was approved by the IRB (internal review board) at Syracuse University and this approval allowed me to engage with both formal and informal interviews. These dialogues were recorded solely as audio, reinforcing the project’s commitment to sound as a primary mode of representation.
Over the course of three research trips to Detroit, a total of fourteen interviews were conducted. While not all recordings were used in the final compositions, each encounter informed the broader understanding of the city’s infrastructural history and contemporary conditions. These trips also included time spent at the Walter P. Reuther Library at Wayne State University, where archival audio and interview transcripts offered additional layers of context, particularly around the construction of I-375 and other mid-century urban renewal projects. Many of these archival materials appear throughout the project, especially in the Phantom sound tapes.
In addition to original interviews, this project drew from public oral history collections and online databases. These included archives from activist groups, Black Bottom Archives and Detroit Sound Conservancy.
For further archival material referenced or incorporated into the project, please visit the Archive tab.