Empire(s)

28 minute sound work
2011

Mark No. 76344794: “the sound of a brass bell tuned to the pitch D, but with an overtone of D-sharp, struck nine times at a brisk tempo, with the final tone allowed to ring until the sound decays naturally. The rhythmic pattern is eight 16th notes and a quarter note; the total duration, from the striking of the first tone to the end of the decay on the final one, is just over 3 seconds.” Owners of Record: NYSE GROUP, INC.

Taking it’s cues from the long-duration film of the same name, this work takes a 3 second audiomark registered by the New York Stock Exchange and slows it drastically to 28 minutes. The opening bell and energetic trader shouts are brought to a standstill and become instead a dirge of white noise and ringing drones which replace motivation with malaise.