Expectations; they can make or break a situation. When we go to the cinema we generally presume how a film will unfold based on advertisements we have seen prior to the film or because we have seen films that are of a similar genre. If these expectations aren’t met it can stimulate disappointment and regret that you have just spent this weeks pay on a crappy rom-com or on the other hand if the film was everything you anticipated then you walk away feeling satisfied.
On the 29th of August 1952, composer John Cage introduced his audience to the sound of silence when he performed for 4 minutes and 33 seconds without making a sound. Described as an ‘art without work’, the avant garde musician’s piece was remembered for the angst it brought to the audience as their expectations were thrown completely out the window. An understanding emerged from the performance; the audience became the sound because as humans there is no such thing as silence.
In response to this, i remembered an article I came across a few years ago on Tumblr about a sound proof room said to drive you insane. The anechoic (echo-free) chamber at Orfield Labs in Minnesota absorbs 99.99% of sound, meaning you can hear your heart beat, your lungs breathe and your stomach digest. This room reiterates Cage’s “silent” performance as the human body becomes the sound; truly unpacking a moment in time.
Re-enacting this performance in class, for only 33 seconds, a number of things became the sound in the room;
– a door that shut in the corridor
– the buzzing of the air con
– many pens began clicking
– footsteps of somebody walking past
– swivelling of chairs
– heaving breathing of classmates
