Anne E. Stoner: Elevator Music 52: Anne E. Stoner—Drowning Out the Noise

Sound artist Anne E. Stoner interviewed eight queer and gender non-confirming individuals as they completed their daily errands and walks in Edinburgh and Chicago, asking what they were listening to and how they navigated the city as queer people. Drowning Out the Noise (2021–2024) layers interviewees’ meditations on queerness, gender performance, and public space over the private playlists of their lives. In doing so, Stoner explores the power of sound to carve out an alternate, queer reality in city spaces that may not always feel safe for queer people.

Elevator Music 52: Anne E. Stoner—Drowning Out the Noise presents all eight interviews together for the first time. Overhead speakers play songs mentioned in the interviews in a collaged soundtrack reminiscent of bustling street traffic. Eight pairs of headphones hang from the walls of the elevator, which visitors are invited to wear, shifting out of the collective soundtrack to focus on each interviewee’s distinct voice and viewpoint.

Elevator Music 52 is organized by Izzy DeSantis, Kiki Pohlad ’13 Curatorial Assistant, and is supported by Friends of the Tang.