[kere.u] at the f r o n t r o o m 1.08.05
ambientnois
Ambient Music
must be able to accommodate many levels of listening attention without enforcing
one in particular;
it must be as ignorable as it is interesting. (Brian Eno September 1978) The
same can be said of ambient video.
Video which is ambient is a sight experience that accommodates many levels
of visual attention,
without enforcing one in particular. The viewer/listener enters a space which
is meditative—engaging
the senses of sight and hearing.
What is noise?
On one end of the spectrum of the genre dubbed noise is the power noise of
Merzbow. That is a sound decibel level
which makes
for uncomfortable listening. Decibels high enough to stimulate and massage
the cochlea (The cochlea is responsible for
converting
sounds which enter the ear canal, from mechanical vibrations into electrical
signals. This process, known as transduction, is
performed by specialized sensory cells within the cochlea. The electrical
signals, which code the sound's characteristics, are carried to the
brain by the auditory nerve.) to the point where the listener is possibly
a bit uncomfortable. Some listeners opt for earplugs which make the
listening experience a completely different one. On the other end of the spectrum
is John Cage. In 4'33", Cage makes the listener realize that there
is never truly silence. This seminal performance in 1952 Cage sits at the
piano for 4 minutes and 33 seconds. In other words, 4 minutes and 33
seconds
of "silence". One listener who was present at the Woodstock performance
remarked that the sound in and around the barn
consisted
of "noises" from the audience, from night flies and natural cadences.
So, in the presence of apparent slience, there will always
be some sound or 'noise". Video or visual noise is the lack of a signal
on a monitor or projection screen. The snow of a monitor broadcasting
without a signal. The tablua rasa of a projection surface, blank scrim, blank
white wall, the blue of a DVD player of VCR waiting for a signal
is never completely visually silent. There is always some texture, image,
play of light and shadow.
There is never truly silence, visaully or aurally..there is always some ambientnois....
Jeremy Slater
1.3.05
Bibliography
of web links:
http://music.hyperreal.org/artists/brian_eno/MFA-txt.html
http://music.research.home.att.net/4min33se.htm
http://oto.wustl.edu/cochlea/intro1.htm
http://www.micrographia.com/tutoria/micbasic/micbpt02/micb0200/hu446gan.htm
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