A largely Ambient composition for Liss Fain Dance's performance installation "Tacit Consent" presented in 24.1 channel sound at YBCA SF in 2016 (remixed for stereo in 2022)
The piece, an investigation into receding privacies in the wake of advancements in surveillance technologies, incorporates extensive urban-field-recordings I captured in San Francisco and New York City - streets, cafes, parks, public transportation and other public spaces, as well as high-profile, well known exchanges (e.g. the Nixon White House tapes, mafia wiretaps, random scandalous celebrities etc) surreptitiously recorded and poured into the public’s domain….plus some precarious recontextualizations of audio from Francis Ford Coppola’s “The Conversation”, a film that glimpses the state of technological public exposure ubiquitous today - precisely the subject matter explored in Tacit Consent. - dw
Apart from the performance, the installation was also presented as a 4-day standalone immersive sound and scenic exhibition at YBCA. Here's the artist-statement for the exhibit.
Artist Statement – Tacit Consent:
This installation explores the boundaries between the public domain and the expectation of privacy and where those two may meet and/or conflict. The use of discreet, yet partially viewable spaces invoke isolation but also captured-observance and raise the question of how these states makes us feel as human beings, as members of society. Do we feel more secure or more invaded? The video images in the installation capture moments of surveillance from places expected and unexpected, as is the case in our everyday lives. The sound is largely derived from recordings of conversations, infamous and not, that were perceived to be taking place in private settings and not ever intended for public consumption.
As technologies advance our ability to capture more and more personal information at greater speeds and with greater ease, we become desensitized to this invasive nature and its overall implications. Many times these are presented as “in our best interest”, but the results are rarely fully considered. [e.g., video monitoring of our infants in their cribs seems a reasonable precaution and a true convenience but it also teaches children from the very beginning of life that they are being watched and maybe even recorded while they sleep. A chilling message instill in our children].
While in public spaces we are, for all practical purposes, consenting to having our private conversations and our image captured and used in perpetuity. Cameras and microphones are in all of our pockets, easily accessed and quick to capture people and events. The impact of recording these events range from benign to destructive. As a society we are being recorded, monitored, and being kept track of, with ever increasing frequency, often without our knowledge, but always with our tacit consent. - Matthew Antaky (Scenic Design), Frédéric O. Boulay (Projection and Sound System Design), Dan Wool (Sound Design)
Produced in association with Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
credits
released September 16, 2021
Choreography: Liss Fain
Sound Design and Music: Dan Wool
Scenic Design: Matthew Antaky
Sound System Design: Frédéric O. Boulay
Dan Wool has created scores for more than 35 feature films. He has also worked extensively writing music for television
advertising, as sound-designer for films and as a music producer/engineer. Among Dan's credits in the arts are compositions for The Architecture + Design Museum (LA), AXIS Dance Company, Amy Seiwert's Imagery (Sketch Series), Liss Fain Dance and RAWdance....more
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