Do you ever think about what you are hearing at any given moment? John Cage's renown piece 4'33 was all about making people aware of the ambient sound around them at any given moment. If you aren't familiar with John Cage, he's definitely a person worth knowing more about. In honour of the 100th year since his birthday, Art Gallery of Greater Victoria and Open Space have exhibitions and/or events relating to John Cage. Sometimes I try and spend time just paying attention to what I hear. I live downtown on the fifth floor of building and I'm always surprised by how little outdoor sound I hear other than the continuous sound of the exhaust outlet fan in the parking lot. That sound seems to go in and out of my attention depending on my state of mind. I notice when I am more anxious, annoying sounds seem louder. Sometimes I play a little game with myself saying that I can't get out of bed in the morning until I hear the sound of a bird. That makes me pay attention to sounds I would normally not hear (or not pay attention if I really don't want to get out of bed). Speaking of birds, there is a rather humourous sound piece by Louise Lawler called Birdcalls done from 1972/1981 where she mocked the inequity between male and female representation in the art market at the time. By recreating the phonetic pronunciation of the names of male artists as sounds that mimicked the cry of birds, Lawler transformed surnames synonymous with success into mating calls. I came across this piece unexpectedly while waiting for elevator at the Seattle Art Museum (it was part of the ELLES exhibition). In trying to find a recording of this piece on-line I discovered an extremely comprehensive website devoted to sound art. On the topic of sound and hearing, I came across an intriguing article in this weekend called The Science and Art of Listening. Stop a moment and discover what you might hear when you listen.

Wendy