It doesn’t matter how long you have to develop a piece (whether it’s a week or several months) it always goes through the following stages…
1) Initial excitement and enthusiasm – a bursting dam of ideas
2) The middle bit – wading through treacle
3) Final dash to the finish line – not enough time
Today, I’ve been firmly in Stage 2 and it’s been quite difficult. You question everything you’ve done to date, keep revisiting old ideas, and basically don’t get very much done. But of course you do… It just doesn’t feel like I’ve been producing the same amount of work as the last two days.
However – I’m back with my original idea of a performance installation, with a number of pre-recorded soundscapes coming from distinct sources and my voice and movement through the space providing the rest. Luigi “the dummy head” will be our faithful listener.
I found out today how to switch the AirCon off, although it does make a pleasing hum, and that the power supply for my headphone amp is faulty/incompatible and introduces mains noise to the signal. Unwanted noise.
Joseph Young : Artist 
At first I was | the world domination | we must not leave the | you have to stay for that | yeah basically what’s nice about the | with the voices right in the centre you’ve still got all this other stuff going on | that’s like… very weird way of, talking into that… that channel | combination of the sound, and text | through to my childhood | spokes in monologue as Moved through those spaces | the whole | excuses made to begun | there was a time when you say upstairs | there was a few …. just .. text | I just loved it.. just text… just … some test, must be a test for the system | we’ve got a child minder coming for an interview ten minutes ago | yeah I’m really pleased | just got back from Brussels| I ‘ll send her some of the work.
Its been lovely to have you. I’m sorry its been so brief.
Its
So.
So, errrr.
Rattta…do you want food? blash……kaboosh…..chess……tiktoktiktok. Pasta? mmmmmm. Smokes……booosh.
phase 1 encounter hardware, wonder where to place yourself. phase 2 enjoy comfort of narrative, familiarity. phase 3 discover that you have stopped associating the sounds with reality and feel rather like a ghost, or the ambient substance of the world with sound passing through you, discover walking around the room is distinctly unnerving in this phase. phase 4 find a sturdy wall and stabilize yourself, become calm and then calmer still.
Fantastic description of the listening process…. Thanks!