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Type of Submission
Performance
Keywords
Silent films, silent movies
Abstract
In the Genesis narrative humanity is given the task of naming, subduing, and cultivating the earth. This task is troublesome toil on the one hand and ennobling imitation of the Creator on the other. In our age we have figured out how to give over to computers many labor-intensive jobs. This process of abdication is nearly always presented as progress, with little reflection on what may be lost. In the Silent Films project, we deliberately reclaim the task of creating music with our own hands, in real time, as films are shown. Instead of recording music in advance, or even creating it on computers, we put upon ourselves the inconvenience of managing the physical and mental complexities of music in the semi-dark with a noisy audience and no assurance of success. Our purpose is to discover what happens. We propose that unreflective abdication to technology of "human" tasks may In fact diminish the human experience. Movie music is now "assumed" to belong on a recorded track. As we reclaim the task of playing that music with our own hands, in real time, we endeavor to shed light on the losses we have experienced when we handed this job over to machines.
Campus Venue
Dixon Ministry Center, Recital Hall
Location
Cedarville, OH
Start Date
4-10-2013 4:00 PM
End Date
4-10-2013 4:20 PM
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.
Silent Films
Cedarville, OH
In the Genesis narrative humanity is given the task of naming, subduing, and cultivating the earth. This task is troublesome toil on the one hand and ennobling imitation of the Creator on the other. In our age we have figured out how to give over to computers many labor-intensive jobs. This process of abdication is nearly always presented as progress, with little reflection on what may be lost. In the Silent Films project, we deliberately reclaim the task of creating music with our own hands, in real time, as films are shown. Instead of recording music in advance, or even creating it on computers, we put upon ourselves the inconvenience of managing the physical and mental complexities of music in the semi-dark with a noisy audience and no assurance of success. Our purpose is to discover what happens. We propose that unreflective abdication to technology of "human" tasks may In fact diminish the human experience. Movie music is now "assumed" to belong on a recorded track. As we reclaim the task of playing that music with our own hands, in real time, we endeavor to shed light on the losses we have experienced when we handed this job over to machines.
