Brian
Eno has made a number of installations of sound and light in galleries over
the years. I was lucky enough to stumble across Mistaken Memories of Mediaeval
Manhattan at the Stedelijik Museum Amsterdam in 1989. The sound of -On Land-
lured me into a small room and there was the skyline shots of Manhattan that
feature in that installation and video. I was also able to visit Sonic Boom
and see Eno's installation there and just recently saw the Bliss's at Pattern
Crazy in the Craft Council, London.
The Civic Recovery
Proposal
The Civic Recovery
Centre Proposal (CRCP) reflects a lot of the work that has gone into Brian's
recent exhibitions. The idea behind the installation is that of a 'recovery
area' erected within a city area, a theme that
Brian spoke of in his talk with David Toop (Curator of Sonic Boom). The
idea of this sort of space or 'quiet club' has been something Brian has mentioned
as something he would like to do since 1986 (at least).
The room is darkened
and there are the large format screens which are arranged in front of the viewer.
There are a large number of CD players suspended throughout the space. There
is also two 'sculptured' objects which sit on the floor. If you have seen or
heard -Kite Stories- or -I Dormienti- you will find the sound
very comforting and familiar, as the exhibition draws heavily on similar elements.
In fact, although there is a CD available at the gallery, Opal will not be releasing
it to elsewhere because of the similarity to previous releases and 
with
a wish not to 'disappoint' fans. This is perhaps a recognition on their part
of the similarity of the elements of this exhibition and other recent exhibitions.
The visual elements also bear some resemblance to other installations (I have
seen photos, even if I have not been able to attend). The screens and indeed
many of the projected images are very similar to Lightness (1997) at The State
Russian Museum.
The element which
struck me the most each time I entered the space was the stillness or slowness
of the exhibition. The music is quiet and restful, and although there is repetition
of the individual elements of the sound, they are not obviously 'looping'. You
are aware that similar themes are unfolding, independent of each other and yet
creating a whole which is greater than the individual parts. Having only heard
Brian's music through conventional stereo sound stages (although I do still
employ a differential surround
system), it was very interesting to experience the elements originating from
specific points within the space.
The visual elements
also had a slow stillness. Two screens showed slides dissolving very slowly
into the next image. The 'bottle' and floor standing 'chimney' (if anyone
knows a better term let me know!) gradually changed colour, as did one of the
screens. Video textures were projected onto the pole and gradually faded off
again. I have tried to include elements of the way the exhibition works into
my tribute to the exhibition in HTML.
Now, Civic Recovery
Proposal or just arty clap trap? I would have to say that I enjoyed the installation.
For me it had the 'right' effect, in that I needed to recover from a rough day
at work and it did serve it's purpose. But how practical is such an exhibition
which purports to be a proposal for an amenity in the same way as a proposal
for 
a bus shelter?
Brian spoke of the 'irreverence'
of viewers at exhibitions like this, and how the average viewer just goes around
prodding things to see how they work. Yet there is also an expectation that
the installation would form part of a real world amenity. For a majority of
society it is perhaps inevitable that their needs will be met by prodding things
and perhaps not being in awe of the opportunity and potential of such a resource.
Placing it as part of an arty music exhibition may just be perpetuating the
selection of non-prodding viewers.
When
I entered the space utilised for CRCP I felt that it was all a little too reverent.
We all sit on the benches and let it all happen around us, 'doing less' as designed.
However Brian (and I) would love to see one of his installations in a space
which is actively utilised and does not make the user feel that they must be
silent and well behaved. Ambient music is supposed to blend in and out of consciousness
and compete with other stimuli from the real world. Perhaps after the exhibition
all of the pieces should be shipped off and dropped into shopping malls and
car parks and left to see what the punters make of them!
Click
here to see my HTML Civic Centre Recovery Area
Pattern
Crazy
Pattern Crazy
was an exhibition organised by the Crafts
Council in London July - Sept 2002. Amongst the exhibitors Brian had flat
screen monitors set into a white wall. These were showing the ever changing
patterns of the Bliss's paint or screensaver program for Mac. The exhibition
was a varied showing, with such works as Julie Westbury's kaleidoscopic 'Air
Madonna' made of postcards and Chris Wood's glass and metal light sculptures.
Brian's Bliss's were facing into the gallery so were not obvious until you entered
and turned back towards the door. There was a video installation celebrating
the work of William Morris by Fiona Curran, complete with uplifting military
choral works, but no sound from Brian unfortunately. There was a evening event
looking at pattern in music and poetry, but no Brian again. The exhibition has
proved to be very popular with the craft crowd, attracting approximately 600
people in the first two days. I did manage to get a couple of photos of the
installation and a video before I was informed that photography was not allowed.
You can click here to download the video
(350k 27 sec. MPEG format).