CURATED
BY: Anna Friz
I. "Attention Span #2"
II. "The Cesium Clock"
III. "Fessenden"
A CASSETTE OF THIS PROGRAM CAN BE ORDERED FROM THE "ORF TONBANDDIENST"
"Attention Span #2"
Eine Nacht in den Kolonien
PLAY
This piece is a drum and bass driven infomercial
starting with a bit of news on the All New library at Alexandria in
Egypt, then moving into some poetic text with origins closer to
home. The Bibliotheca Alexandrina is historically a confluence of
written knowledge that flourished at the meeting point of the three
continents, Asia, Africa and Europe.
The original library was destroyed, commonly believed to be caused
by the Roman war in 47-48 BC, by Christian fanatics of the third
century A.D. who were actively putting an end to paganism and by
Moslems replacing the Byzantines in 640 A.D. It has been said that
the destruction of the library at Alexandria put science back over
a thousand years. Rumour has it a backup copy of the manuscripts
exists.
I choose to draw a parallel between the destruction, adaptation
and rediscovery of indigenous cultures and languages. As empires
absorb, forests burn, lands are flooded by dams and mined into
wastelands, languages are lost along with vast understandings. I
want to draw attention to a poet my Anglo-European-Native
grandmother adored, and my mother after her -- E. Pauline
Johnson-Tekahionwake (1862-1913). Colonized Canada gave us the
Queen's English. Within its language and written on paper, some
essence of the land on which I stand is allowed to continue
living.
The Cesium Clock -
Freedom or Control
PLAY
Knowledge vs Power
Of all the elements, the one stable enough for the measurement of
time is cesium. Of all cesium atoms, it is the isotope 133, which
held in isolation in a vacuum uninterrupted by other atoms, can be
relied upon to emit an exact frequency so time can be measured and
accurately predict where a light photon emitted from the sun is
within 2 feet. (2 nanoseconds.)
From one infinitesimal atom in a device the size of a suitcase,
entire countries coordinate military activities that will affect
people for generations.
One scientific intellectual pursuit, to measure a dimension
accurately and give scientists a stable playing field to pursue
more knowledge is put into production and sold to military
operations who need to coordinate large amounts of personal and
weaponry, that increasingly relies on technology and accuracy to
keep war clean.
Planetary vs. Atomic
In 1967 the second was redefined to "the duration of 9,192,631,770
cycles of microwave light absorbed or emitted by the hyperfine
transition of cesium-133 atoms in their ground state undisturbed by
external fields*" instead of being defined in relation to the
motion of the Earth.
A fundamental unit of time once measured by the entire planet in
relation to the sun, now defined by one isotope of one element and
the consistent microwave it emits.
Many people understand time and seconds without ever needing the
accuracy given by the cesium clock, and continue to rely and
understand the division of a day in the relationship of the sun and
earth.
Intuitive vs Scientific
Music can be approached both scientifically and intuitively, some
people choose to absorb the world of music in their life to
determine their creativity and others prefer to scientifically
study music.
Like rhythm in music, the cesium clock gives a stable measure from
which to build around.
The idea of creating a composition using the cesium clock as
source material is very attractive because my music is an attempt
to overcome thes dichotomies and leave Interpretation to the
listener.
*13th General Conference on Weights and Measures
"Fessenden"
PLAY
Music for Reginald Fessenden: inventor, eccentric,
frequent litigant, frustrated character, expatriate Canadian and
the first broadcaster.
Tesla and Marconi were more popular figures, who were better at
selling themselves and their ideas. But it was Fessenden who
brought language and music to radio. His was the first voice ever
broadcast, on Christmas Eve 1906, a transmission heard by startled
ship radio operators at sea. They were an audience more accustomed
to the bleeps of morse code.
"Fessenden" is music for the emergence of language out of the
static of radio.
Gordon Krieger: radios
Alistair Dempsey: contrabass
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