ROBERT SIEGEL, host:
We have been listening to what our listeners listen to. We're collecting snippets of evocative environmental sounds that you have brought to our attention. Animal sounds, mysterious sounds, and a lot of industrial sounds, which we started featuring this week along with the stories behind them.
XAN PALAY (Columbus, Ohio): My name is Xan Palay. I'm a sculptor based in Columbus, Ohio and I recorded, in 1997, a sound - the sound of an overhead crane passing through a metal shed at the Columbus Pipe Company in Columbus, Ohio.
(Soundbite of crane)
Ms. PALAY: The metal shed is about as big as a football field, and I think it's about two stories tall. And when I would go to pick up metal stock, I would be overwhelmed by the sound of this huge crane moving from one end of the building to another end of the building.
(Soundbite of crane)
Ms. PALAY: I've used the sound in an installation I did in 2002 and I keep it on CD, in case it comes in handy again. Because it's such a strange thing and so hard to identify, but so involving and overwhelming.
(Soundbite of crane)
SIEGEL: A sound from an Ohio steel warehouse. It was sent to us by sculptor, Xan Palay. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.