Rampant drumming. Cavernous echo. Murmuring crowd. Determined footsteps. Rising voices. Security pings. Hushed commentary. These are the things a museum is made of — or at least its sound environment. The audio comes courtesy of John Kannenberg, a musician and sound artist who often takes the space in which art is displayed as his starting point.
He describes the recording as follows:
This 3-minute teaser contains sounds recorded in June and July of 2013 as source material for my in-progress composition “A Sound Map of the Art Institute of Chicago.”
The best — or at least most remarkably well-timed — moment is when what appears to be a docent can be overheard describing synesthesia, how one can hear colors and smell sensation, and so on. Little did she know her spoken words would take on a new, unintended artistic purpose, themselves transformed from commentary on art to an artful commentary on commentary on art.
Track originally posted at soundcloud.com/johnkannenberg. More from Kannenberg at johnkannenberg.com.