Hands holding up a sign that says “If you hear something free something,” outside a busy subway station.
Project Trailer
Video directed by Daniel Pravit Fethke
Project Video
What do we hear when we ride public transportation? Who is speaking to us, and what are we being asked to do?
From September 3 to October 5, 2025, artist Chloë Bass debuted her first sound work, If you hear something, free something, a public art commission presented by Creative Time in partnership with MTA Arts & Design. In a monumental and fleeting gesture, Bass interwove 24 poetic announcements into the New York City Transit’s Public Address (PA) system, engaging millions of residents spanning across neighborhoods and social boundaries. Cultivating a practice of everyday care while questioning the usual purposes of public address, Bass played critically with two well-known campaign slogans: “If You See Something, Say Something” and “Courtesy Counts.”
The verses played in several languages, extending to the diverse communities who call NYC home. They aimed to break growing feelings of fear and distrust, and instead offer moments of surprise, reflection, levity, and connection.
Video directed by Daniel Pravit Fethke
ASL Announcements
Watch all 24 announcements in ASL below.
MOVEMENT 1:
MOVEMENT 2:
MOVEMENT 3:
MOVEMENT 4: