scream
yoko ono once gave an interactive art experience online. I think it was officially called fluxus.
to participate you made a call, received a recorded guidance message, then you could scream into the phone. it was recorded on the other end and then placed into a musical 'screams score' more or less. my scream, as i remember, was weak.
i was more singing than screaming. whats up with that? i never cared until now cuz i just saw those teenage girls throats close in on their aborted screams, yet smiling as they walked away. whats up with that? you are supposed to scream your head off, not do a dainty curtsy. agh, kids
but then i remembered why my original scream had been weak. well, it was because i wasnt in touch with the feeling from which a true scream springs. (not that i recommend having a good reason to scream, its just that when it comes down to it, you dont really need a reason) and decided i wanted instead to work against screaming, i think thats why i sang. just to give the scream-score some perspective. and because i didnt have a proper scream to give......or so i thought.....just as the failed screamers in the gallery probably also thought. so, ok yoko ok you said it first, and it looks like i've gained scream consciousness. i'm in touch with that feeling, i just watched the news
here is a fine example of that same project but taken and performed live in a gallery, a different shocking sort of spatially inclusive performance experience. imagine trying to not listen to the screams while absorbed in strolling and looking at the art on the walls, or being nonchalant gallery-waltzers
who dont react. people do tend to steer clear of an invasive audio setup in the middle of the floor. they are circling the edges of the space. the mic stand is impressive and foreboding, it stands alone a good part of the time. people are not lining up to scream into it.
you can see how our screamer rushes out of that set-up. being there longer means you have to own the scream or maybe do another one. and then there are some other clips where it's clear the people are not really screaming, mock screaming, maybe, but a few didnt get even a croak out.
so i am going to scream as much as i can today. screw the neighbors. i wont even shut the windows, i might even do it out in the garden. i'll probably be arrested if i escalate with it, so i will place some limits, perhaps three screams is enough so as not to arouse defensive actions. actually one should be enough but hey, reaction times are not linear
i remember once when that writer friend said he had 'lost the words' - i could not imagine, alas, here now i imagine the scream would be in a sense, a healthy, cathartic at least, substitute for words.
scream