“The Analysis of Beauty” by Disinformation at Talbot Rice Gallery

http://www.artinscotland.tv/2016/disinformation-the-analysis-of-beauty/

http://vimeo.com/113034933

Art in Scotland and Summerhall TV made this video about the “The Analysis of Beauty” sound and video installation (see earlier post) which ran for 2 weeks, up to 29 Nov 2014, in the Georgian Gallery at Talbot Rice in Edinburgh. The actual sound featured in “The Analysis of Beauty” exhibit focussed on sine-waves with a core frequency of 40Hz, with the effect that (inevitably) the in-situ audio proved almost impossible to record for this video. For the most accurate representation of the gallery sound, please play the MP3 file below, listening through good quality external hi-fi loudspeakers or headphones (not laptop speakers).

As for the influence of William Hogarth’s ideas about “The Analysis of Beauty” and “Serpentine Line” etc, the evolution of this exhibit, which premiered at Kettle’s Yard gallery in 2000, is described in the Summerhall TV video. The installation also uses audio techniques employed in the Disinformation sound work “National Grid”, which was first performed and published in 1996 and first exhibited in 1997 (with further versions being performed, recorded and exhibited ever since). The precise audio specification for the installation at Talbot Rice is based on another Disinformation piece which employs the same technique – namely “Absolute Zero” – which was commissioned for the CD of the same name, by Japanese choreographer Saburo Teshigawara, and published by Charrm Records, also in 2000 (the audio clip embedded below is a short extract from that track, which was used as the sound demo for the installation at Talbot Rice; and if the audio skips, view this webpage using a different browser). For details of the illusions created by “The Analysis of Beauty” oscilloscope exhibit, see the “Rorschach Audio” book pages 161 to 175.

Special thanks to Martin Parker, James Clegg, Tommy Stuart, Pat Fisher, Stuart Fallon, Lucy Brown, Claire Hills, Zata Kitowski, Chris Orr, Richard Taylor, Ryan Van Winkle & Luci Wallace. Thanks to everyone who came to the symposium at Talbot Rice on 17 Nov. Thanks also to Nick Thurston for organising the (very well attended) “Rorschach Audio” talk in Leeds (see below), and to everyone who came along in Leeds as well.

https://rorschachaudio.files.wordpress.com/2014/12/the_analysis_of_beauty_copyright_c2a9_joe_banks.mp3