Sonic Scenery Reviewed
So I finally managed to make it over to the Natural History Museum for Sonic Scenery.
The Natural History Museum has been making an effort to cater to the hip crowd. They've been hosting a series of events and concerts including Fat Boy Slim and Autolux playing. Sonic Scenery is yet another attempt to draw in crowds that might not think to visit the museums private collection. And I think it’s a great concept. Simply, several musicians and audio artists were commissioned to create soundtracks to the first floors permanent collections. The soundtracks were made available on iTunes but are also available to be rented on custom MP3 players at the museum. Although purchasing on iTunes allows you to keep the music forever, I decided to use the house MP3 players. I'll say this, if you decide to rent, you might want to bring your own headphones. The ones provided are cheap and blown out. Disregarding that, the custom Mp3 players are great for one reason. They are synched to infrared sensors at the entrance of each exhibit. The sensor triggers the appropriate track.
The tracks themselves run the gamete in terms of composition. Matmos went for creating sonic vignettes for each diorama, the most direct representation of the visuals. Ozomatli and Sun Ra created traditional (or as close as any) songs that made me want to dance my way through the exhibits. Nels Cline created an effective mood for a room full of Dinosaur models as did Stephen Hartke for the gem room (one of my favorites).
The music really allowed the viewer time to reflect a bit more on what they were looking at, and was a great way to introduce one to these overlooked exhibits. Part of me hoped that they might make for a slightly more introspective experience, but there isn't much that can overpower screaming kids.
All in all, a good addition to the museum, but nothing more then an accent to what has been available for quite some time. Check out the museum regardless.
The Natural History Museum has been making an effort to cater to the hip crowd. They've been hosting a series of events and concerts including Fat Boy Slim and Autolux playing. Sonic Scenery is yet another attempt to draw in crowds that might not think to visit the museums private collection. And I think it’s a great concept. Simply, several musicians and audio artists were commissioned to create soundtracks to the first floors permanent collections. The soundtracks were made available on iTunes but are also available to be rented on custom MP3 players at the museum. Although purchasing on iTunes allows you to keep the music forever, I decided to use the house MP3 players. I'll say this, if you decide to rent, you might want to bring your own headphones. The ones provided are cheap and blown out. Disregarding that, the custom Mp3 players are great for one reason. They are synched to infrared sensors at the entrance of each exhibit. The sensor triggers the appropriate track.
The tracks themselves run the gamete in terms of composition. Matmos went for creating sonic vignettes for each diorama, the most direct representation of the visuals. Ozomatli and Sun Ra created traditional (or as close as any) songs that made me want to dance my way through the exhibits. Nels Cline created an effective mood for a room full of Dinosaur models as did Stephen Hartke for the gem room (one of my favorites).
The music really allowed the viewer time to reflect a bit more on what they were looking at, and was a great way to introduce one to these overlooked exhibits. Part of me hoped that they might make for a slightly more introspective experience, but there isn't much that can overpower screaming kids.
All in all, a good addition to the museum, but nothing more then an accent to what has been available for quite some time. Check out the museum regardless.
posted by lakeside at 9:06 PM
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