Works » By Title » E » Everyone's Talking at Once (11:35 / 1981)

In a large gathering of people, otherwise known as a crowd or party, the gist of communications may be understood by respective participants although the individual fragments of dialogue are not always fully retained due to the hazardous environment in which loud music, noisy nearby conversations, physical contacts (due to the release of certain creative energies) abound, and internal stimulus such as organic or chemical substances also alter perceptions… especially if the said conversation is of no interest! In such instances, the mind tends to wander for a few moments. These precious seconds can seem like hours in a space-time continuum. I chose to expand a space of one second between two words; ‘once’ and ‘but’ taken from the passage: ‘I'm sorry, I didn't hear you… everyone's talking at once. But go on.’ The development of this space is based upon the tranquility incongruent to the atmosphere of the tranquility, as well as thoughts and thoughtforms passing through at different rates. A combination of known and unknown sounds illustrates the workings of memory in any state of consciousness. Therefore if you hear footsteps, whistles, voices, push-button phones, and airplanes, it's all in your head! “Everyone's Talking at Once” was realized at the Kaya Music Sound Studio, Place Victoria Metro Station, and the Concordia University Electroacoustic Studio using a party of four voices, wine glasses, tape loops, an Aries modular synthesizer, a few gongs and several meters of magnetic tape. This interior voyage was completed in March, 1981. DL