People Are Talking: UMS presents Ryoji Ikeda’s...
Posted: 10/31/14
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PERFORMANCES & EVENTS
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All comments by ASL
People Are Talking: UMS presents Ryoji Ikeda’s superposition at Power Center:
I really enjoyed the tuning fork demonstration as well. It transported me to a new kind of consciousness, because I usually don’t think about the fact that what I hear is fluctuating waves–I just call it sound. It’s interesting that you want to see even closer images of the forks vibrating–why is that? I can tell you from experience that there not much to see, unless you put the vibrating fork into a bowl of water. Then the vibrations cause the water to splash out of the bowl with the range corresponding to the pitch and size of the fork.
This performance was very different than anything else I have ever experienced. While I really enjoyed some parts of the show, I found others slightly confusing and frustrating.
Personally, my favorite part was with the tuning forks. I found it remarkable to watch the sound waves being altered. I could see and hear the frequency and amplitude change as time passed and as different tuning forks were used. Thus, I appreciated being exposed to these basic sounds in a new, abstract way. Moreover, this part really pointed out the natural beauty of science, and the soothing sounds contrasted with the other ear throbbing noises present in the rest of the performance. However, I wish the members of the audience were able to see the performers’ actions more closely during this part of the show. I would have really liked to observe the vibration of the tuning forks in addition to the projection of the sound waves.
On the other hand, I also found certain parts of the show slightly frustrating. For example, I did not know what all the random numbers in the beginning of the performance represented. As a result, I found it difficult to connect with this part. I wish there was an explanation in the program regarding why these numbers had been chosen. Do they represent numbers that reoccur in nature? In addition, I also found it slightly frustrating when the audience never found out the exact meaning of the sentences being typed out. All of the blanks were filled with random letters and numbers instead of words. In other words, the ambiguity of the meaning of this performance caused the confusion and frustration I was feeling. Nevertheless, this was definitely a unique performance that I am happy I had the opportunity to attend.
"by AS
People Are Talking: UMS presents Ryoji Ikeda’s superposition at Power Center:
My feelings on superposition are as mixed as the technicolored screens.
It felt like my senses were under attack; most of the time I plugged my ears and strategically opened and closed my eyes to avoid being visually insulted by screaming light. Was it really necessary to make it that loud?
Although the experience itself was like torture, it stimulated profound thought. What stuck with me and shaped my understanding was the message: “INFORMATIONISNOTKNOWLEDGE. INFORMATIONISTHERESOLUTIONOFUNCERTAINTY.” I loved the episode with the marbles because it showed that an infinite amount of data can be accumulated and manipulated, but it will never fully capture a natural phenomenon. Which should we say is more sophisticated: the simple yet chaotic incapturable phenomenon, or the ridiculously complex methods of describing it?