Silent Cycles

An audio installation

by Tim Story

Silent Cycles is a unique, continually-evolving audio installation by Grammy-nominated composer and sound artist Tim Story.  Simultaneously 'Christmas Music' of sorts, and Story's wry commentary on—and surprising antidote to—the genre itself, Cycles is an elegiac exploration of just one verse of the most popular Christmas song of all time, Silent Night.  It is an immersive experience easily scalable to a large range of public spaces—indoors and out—and engagements both short- and long-term (since the processes are generated in real-time, no two exhibitions will ever unfold in exactly the same way.)  

 Expanding on a process he deprecatingly calls 'smudging', Story elegantly deconstructs 15 recorded versions of Silent Night into a singular tone poem that continually grows and falls away in elusive washes of harmony and timbre. Built essentially by submitting other people’s music to a process that freezes and ‘smudges’ small samples of harmonically-rich, looped phrases, these carefully curated segments cycle through a hypnotic aural landscape that is both enigmatically abstract and warmly familiar.

Deliberately embracing both the inherent beauty of Silent Night, and the relentless exploitation of Christmas music in our commercial and ever-lengthening ‘holidays’, Story chooses an ironic cross-section of recordings to submit to his processes.  World-class symphony orchestras intersect with novelty karaoke versions, college marching bands, even a kazoo performance.  In perhaps the Cycles greatest irony, these unlikely sources, stripped of their melody and lyric by the artist’s methods, coalesce seamlessly into an experience that essentially invites the listener to rediscover the iconic carol’s haunting grace—to reimagine what overexposure and cliché has desensitized.  Conceptually eloquent, Silent Cycles is also a profoundly visceral and moving experience, designed to reward as much time and attention as a participant brings to it.  

As in much of Story's acclaimed recent work, Silent Cycles questions our assumptions about appropriation and authorship, and encourages a fresh perspective on the nature of composition and in turn, listening.  These graceful slow-motion waves of harmony and atmosphere may ultimately offer participants something even more elusive—a chance to reclaim a moment of repose and reflection amongst the clutter and chaos of the 'holidays'.

 Technical

Silent Cycles is an audio installation consisting of an 8-channel audio playback device (a self-contained solid state computer processor/multichannel audio interface supplied by the artist); and 4-8 (or more) audio monitors (speakers) scaled to the size and needs of the gallery/listening space. Programmed to load automatically and loop indefinitely upon power-up, the installation is suitable for short and long-term exhibition with minimal oversight.

 The Artist

 Grammy-nominated American composer, musician and sound artist Tim Story (b 1957) has been called “a master of electronic chamber music” (CD Review, USA), and a “true artist in the electronic medium” (Victory Review, USA).  Through four decades of influential recordings, live performances and museum exhibitions, Story’s unique marriage of meticulous compositional detail, pioneering sound design, and an inquisitive approach to conceptual frameworks has resonated with audiences worldwide. 

 Comment (Recent exhibitions)

 “Extraordinary... An immersive and deeply satisfying visitor experience.” - (Scott Boberg, Manager of Programs/Toledo Museum of Art)

 “Intriguing, challenging, and charming, not just in turn, but in marvelously complex variations of all three.   [The Roedelius Cells] comes to us with a new variation of brilliance, a new way of discovering sonic expression, a fresh redefinition of the borders of composition.” - (John Shanahan, Hypnagogue)

 “Stunning.” - (Big Ears New Music Festival, Knoxville)

Invitation to Exhibit

            We are excited to offer Silent Cycles to interested museums, galleries, festivals and public spaces (indoors and out) for dates in 2020 and beyond. The installation is fully scalable - from small intimate spaces designed for a few people at a time, to much larger venues with the ability to host many more listeners and a larger physical soundstage to explore.  Technical and staff demands are minimal, making the installation suitable for short- or long-term exhibition in a variety of settings. Exhibitions may also be augmented with presentations, workshops, educational programs and/or residencies with the artists.  For more information, please contact Russ Curry at russ@curiousmusic.us