2 + 2 = green

A proposal for NOISE and whispers The Opposite of Wilderness by Clay Gold
As I have a deep interest in language, speech and
communication, I interpret Noise as the sum of all information, the sum of all
humanity's interpretation, its language output big, confident, unconditional,
published and pro!ected" Ne#s, $eadlines, %ublicity and %ropaganda, is Noise"
Whispers are private, intimate, devastating suggestions and
rumours unconfirmed, unconfident, confidential and conditional communication" The
inner monologue is a Whisper, a #ord beyond our ear"
&efore World War ll and for a short #hile after, #e lived in a #orld of
Whispers" The 'Walls $ave 'ars' Campaign e(emplifies the need for secrecy #hich #as
felt in &ritain" %eople got on #ith their !obs and only gossiped #hen they felt sure
that no)one #as listening" *ore recently, society has evolved into a community
dominated by Noise" We are no# encouraged to tell stories, initially +around the
photocopier, and ultimately on a social platform or blog, to reveal our deepest
thoughts publicly and spea- out" Advertising sells a fa-e bac-)story for products,
encouraging us to become emotionally involved" Companies are desperate for their brand
to be a part of our lives, to live #ith us and transmit to the ne(t generation" 'ven
governments are not safe as #e progress to the logical conclusion of this behaviour
N$. 'gagging orders' have been issued to prevent hospital horror stories emerging
official secrets are lea-ed" %eople, having been dra#n into sharing their positive
stories, can no longer be relied upon to -eep /uiet about their negative e(periences or
their nagging conscience"
In an effort to escape the noise of ne#spapers, advertisements and all
presumptuous audio broadcasting, many people turn to their headphones for privacy, for
escape" To blot out the noise #hich demands that #e understand it, #hich demands that
#e play a role and relate to it, some see- privacy in personal entertainment, #hich
demands nothing, no participation" They push a#ay Noise, consumed by a useless media, a
peddler of fantasies #hich leeches on basic emotion, #hispering s#eet nothings" They
are free on a cloud of self)satisfaction, #ithout responsibility detached from Noise
on a #ave of Whispers"
&ut then comes alienation" Then comes the Wilderness" And there lies doubt"
There lies the space in #hich to realise that 0eality has been substituted for 1iction"
If the space allo#s for it 'The Opposite of Wilderness' should comprise 2 ( traditional
'Tannoy' %A spea-ers 3see photo4, such as those used in rail#ay stations, diffusing a
mi( of simultaneous voice announcements and broadcast media 5 ( full fre/uency range
3hi)fi4 spea-er delivering a loop of channel)hopping T6 station stutter 5 ( sub)bass
spea-er of indistinct lo# fre/uency emissions, subliminal music and language, as though
originating else#here 5 ( enclosed)ear headphones, #hich the visitor to the
installation may don to achieve isolation from the Noise" They #ill then hear instead a
/uiet ambience and a gentle voice repeating, every fe# seconds, the phrase7
+I should be doing something",
In a busy, or noisy environment, 'The Opposite of Wilderness' might solely consist
of the headphone part of the piece"
2 + 2 = green
2 + 2 = green
Noise & Whispers
ART I S T S HEE T
NOTES to this table
1) All measurements are H x W x D and are in cms
2) Please supply a Hi Res (300 dpi) image o t!e "or#$ or an image associated "it! it
Artist Title Medium Yea
r
Editio
n
H W D Artist
Minimu
m Prie
!
Insuran
e "alue
!
Publish
ed
Sellin#
prie !
%lay &old '!e (pposite
o Wilderness
)ound 201
3
1 o 1 n*a n*a
Artist $io#raph% &'() *ords+
Cl ay Gold, from Canterbury, Kent, is a British sound recording artist with an interest in social
cybernetics. His multi-channel sound pieces use location recording, synthesis, Foley and worldizing as
part of an exploration into information, actiely suppressed and promoted opinion! or c ensor ship and
propaganda.
Website
www.claygold.co.uk
Statement &()) *ords+
Ha+ing a deep interest in language$ speec! and communication$ , interpret -oise as t!e sum o all inormation$ t!e sum
o all !umanity.s interpretation$ its language output/ 0ig$ conident$ unconditional$ pu0lis!ed and pro1ected2 -e"s$
Headlines$ Pu0licity and Propaganda$ is -oise2
W!ispers are pri+ate$ intimate$ de+astating/ suggestions and rumours/ unconirmed$ unconident$ conidential and
conditional communication2 '!e inner monologue is a W!isper$ a "ord 0eyond our ear2
,n an eort to escape t!e noise o ne"spapers$ ad+ertisements and all presumptuous audio 0roadcasting$ many people
turn to t!eir !eadp!ones or pri+acy$ or escape2 'o 0lot out t!e noise "!ic! demands t!at "e understand it$ "!ic!
demands t!at "e play a role and relate to it$ some see# pri+acy in personal entertainment$ "!ic! demands not!ing$ no
participation2 '!ey pus! a"ay -oise$ consumed 0y a useless media$ a peddler o antasies "!ic! leec!es on 0asic
emotion$ "!ispering s"eet not!ings2 '!ey
are ree on a cloud o sel3satisaction$ "it!out responsi0ility/ detac!ed rom -oise on a "a+e o W!ispers2
2 + 2 = green
4loc# o "ood rom 50ay
2 + 2 = green
6anne7uin !and rom 50ay$ spray3painted gold and glued !ard into t!e 0loc#2
2 + 2 = green
A0o+e8 Wooden 0ox adapted to conceal rac#mounted minidisc player and ampliier2
4elo"8 %ompleted pair o spray3painted !ands and !eadp!ones2
Presenting t!e !eadp!ones as a sacred o01ect$ "it! religious signiicance2
Wilderness is escapism$ alienation/ it is 9esus. "ilderness$ a place or isolation and a place to
complete spiritual training or return t!e mind to ocus 0ac# in on itsel2
'!e opposite o "ilderness is a place o no learning$ non3enlig!tenment2
2 + 2 = green
The Opposite of Wilderness is a piece I created for the Noise and Whispers exhibition at GV
Arts Gallery in North London last November/December Ori!inally intended as a piece of
m"lti#channel m"ltiple spea$er media noise %ith an added option of a headphones piece&
intended to offer a means of escape& I %as event"ally as$ed to contrib"te '"st the headphones
part of the pro'ect I ori!inally intended for there to be ( pairs of headphones& all diff"sin! the
same piece& b"t I )"ic$ly realised that& as the s"b'ect matter I %as dealin! %ith %as alienation
and escapism * this %as not somethin! that co"ld be a shared experience * so it became a
piece for a sin!le pair of headphones I+ll '"st describe the piece& as it is very simple and then
tal$ a bit abo"t the infl"ences and ideas behind it ,-ict"re. A pair of !old painted
headphones are offered by a !old manne)"in hand& mo"nted on a bloc$ of %ood and fixed to
the %all of the !allery& %ith a sin!le spotli!ht on them The so"nd bein! played into the
headphones is a /0 min"te recordin! of me& sittin! in my shed& repeatin! the %ords 1I sho"ld
be doin! somethin!2& over and over& every fe% seconds This recordin! is played t%ice& on a
loop and the second time aro"nd there is a sli!htly different bac$!ro"nd environment 3o the
%hole piece is (0 min"tes lon!& and this is %hat is playin! on a loop in the headphones I
tried not to chan!e the %ay I repeated the %ords in any %ay& b"t I did not %ant it to so"nd
robotic or looped& so I '"st so"nd bored * the recordin! is "p close& a sin!le condenser
microphone& )"ite heavily compressed& so my breathin! is almost as lo"d as my spea$in! *
there is also some )"ite heavy si!hin! to brea$ it "p I '"st say 1I sho"ld be doin! somethin!2
%henever I feel li$e it and my emotion doesn+t chan!e In the bac$!ro"nd& the first time
aro"nd& %hich is '"st %hatever else %as pic$ed "p d"rin! this mono microphone recordin!&
can be heard birds& some $noc$in! of %ood and !eneral %or$ !oin! on next door and some
ch"rch bells rin!in! The second time aro"nd there are more ch"rch bells added& m"ch more
melodic& from a different ch"rch in a different co"ntry * b"t a!ain this is very m"ch in the
bac$!ro"nd and barely a"dible
4omments and vie%s at the previe% ran!ed from 1It+s '"st a !"y sayin! the same thin! over
and over2 and 1I thin$ it+s a bit sarcastic2 and 15o"+re !ettin! )"ite an!ry as it !oes on aren+t
yo"62 to ma$in! people act"ally thin$ that they sho"ldn+t be here& they sho"ld be doin!
somethin!7
2 + 2 = green
One infl"ence I m"st mention is 8ohn 4a!e The recordin! of 9I sho"ld be doin! somethin!9
is essentially a recordin! of my st"dio environment& my shed& %ith the addition of my
apparent procrastination& altho"!h I am act"ally doin! somethin! This is (:: in the sense
4a!e meant %hen he said that he listens to that piece every day ;"t in this case it is a
bac$!ro"nd to the a"ditory ima!ination& as is so m"ch environmental so"nd This is also
s"!!estive of an idea that headphone listenin! does the thin$in! for yo"& that it is an escape
from not only environmental noise& b"t also mental noise 4a!e ta$es a bac$seat approach to
composition %hich I believe comes from his payin! close attention to nat"re& that %hich is
effective %itho"t man+s interference <is compositions arise spontaneo"sly& in s"rprisin! %ays
and may be perceived as poisono"s or delicio"s to the listener And if it so"nds li$e I+m
tal$in! abo"t m"shrooms& it+s beca"se I mi!ht be
The piece is abo"t distraction and escapism The %ilderness in the title refers to nat"re b"t
%ith the added inference to 4hrist+s %ilderness& visited for (0 days and ni!hts as part of a path
to messiah#hood or enli!htenment It is %ith this in mind that I decided on an ob'ect %ith
reli!io"s or sacred ob'ect ima!ery& a !olden hand& to offer the headphones to the visitor This
reli!io"s %ilderness is not escapism b"t a step into p"re perception& a decreasin! of external
stim"l"s in order to inspire a comm"nion of the inner and the o"ter existence The opposite
of this is complete denial of either The act"al a"dio environment as created by h"man bein!s
has propelled "s to the invention of headphones as a means to deny it Noise cancelin!
technolo!y is f"rther proof that %e are displeased %ith o"r creation b"t are prepared to
individ"ally %ithdra% from it& rather than %or$ to rectify the discrepancy <"man bein!s no
lon!er loo$ to enrich their experience b"t see$ to expel their creationsThe Opposite of
Wilderness is essentially (:: for the headphone environment In the recordin! the
microphone is present to pic$ "p the voice& %hich is "p close and personal& b"t it also cannot
help b"t pic$ "p the activity occ"rrin! in the bac$!ro"nd The opposite of ears& the opposite
of perception& %hich excl"des that %hich it re!ards as irrelevant
2 + 2 = green
PR(PA&A-DA
2 + 2 = green
.-oise and "!ispers. Pre+ie"8 '!ursday -o+em0er : 2013
2 + 2 = green
2 + 2 = green
6artin A2 )mit! ; %urator o .-oise and "!ispers.2
2 + 2 = green
<55D4A%=
>, really en1oyed your piece at t!e -oise and W!ispers e+ent2 , tried to comment a0out somet!ing
negati+e 0ut its not!ing o su0stance really2 , "ould !a+e put your cards closer to t!e piece rat!er
t!an in t!e corner2 '!at is t!e only t!ing t!at comes to mind2 )mall 0ut sometimes , can 0e
annoying a0out t!ose #ind o details2 9ust a personal t!ing2 4elo" is a 0etter explanation o !o" ,
elt "!en , irst sa" your piece8
6y irst impression came rom t!e +isual aest!etic o t!e gold !and mounted on a stained "ood
0loc# !olding a pair o gold !eadp!ones2 , ound t!is to carry 7uite a 0it o dept!$ almost to signal
t!at it is t!e pinnacle$ t!e #ey to expose t!e ans"ers$ a trop!y o culmination2
'!e sound "as close and personal$ ocused on a simple statement repeated o+er and o+er across t!e
0ac#drop o an open room2 ?, s!ould 0e doing somet!ing2? '!e succession o t!is group o "ords
carrying eac! a dierent uni7ueness in prosody and meaning2 Due to t!is repetition$ , 0egan to
relate to t!e pressure o al"ays needing to do ?somet!ing2? 'o compete "it! t!is "orld and ta#e
part in all its madness2 '!e "ords gat!ered momentum$ adding signiication to t!e meaning2 Ater
understanding t!e intentions o t!e artist$ t!e message o t!e piece 0ecame more clear2 We li+e in a
"orld o noise$ and per!aps$ t!is piece !olds t!e #ey to it2@
6ar# &eary
Hi %layA
>)orry it too# me a long time to send you my comments on your "or#2 , "ent to t!e gallery to listen
to it again to remind me$ 0ut also o "!at , t!oug!t to 0e a c!ange o listening conditions2 , really
en1oyed your "or#A , ound mysel listening to it a0solutely t!in#ing t!at , !ad to do somet!ing$ 0ut
t!oug!t , really "asn.t doing muc! 0ut listening2 6ig!t.+e 0een lost in t!oug!t or a moment "!en ,
"as o+er at t!e gallery$ i elt t!at t!e sentence "as +ery strong and t!at it "as speciic to me2 4ut
t!en "e do all !a+e our o"n r!yt!ms "!erein "e are eel t!e urge to 0e doing somet!ingA , also !ad
a t!oug!t a0out !o" you deli+ered t!e p!rase$ sometimes your 0reat!ing "ould 0e 7uite loud and
say ?, s!ould 0e doing somet!ing? li#e it "as a sig!2 Bea! , really li#ed t!at !a!a2
Any"ays$ , !ope t!is !elpsA &ood "or#$ please let me #no" "!en you !a+e ot!er ex!i0its2 ,.m sure
it "ill 0e goodA@
0est regards
mario c2
2 + 2 = green
'Noise and Whispers' Review 08/12/2013