They need electricity. He had plugged into the nearest traffic-light pole. It was also a power source for maintenance from time to time, and, unaware of the metaphysical magnitude of Neuhaus's wire, workers would neglect to reconnect it. So every six months or so, he would appear in hard hat and overalls, carrying a tool kit and traffic cones, and get it going again. The work was unsigned.
Anonymity is essential.
Above all, sound works should not be perceived as ''art.'' When the Rockefeller Foundation wanted to advertised its funding with a ''Times Square'' plaque, Neuhaus said no. He was not making music, he required no applause. His sounds are ''the opposite of music. He is ''an artist working in a serious way'' for a ''public'' that is not necessarily looking for ''culture'' then and there. You would have had to stand there for a month to find an audience.