[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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