Etude [23] – Emmer [Bucket] [High-Tech]

The Etudes are created using the programs from my DOS Lab and are then accompanied by a video. This is the opposite approach to film music, which is always made once the images already exist. There is always one subject in these compositions, and the image relates to it. The sounds are generated by a simple MIDI sound card from the DOS system.

In Etude[23], the difference between high-tech and low-tech is explored, with the core question being whether the high-tech version is actually nothing more than a ‘coloration,’ an ornament. The audio file exhibits a gradual movement from high to low. In the low-tech version, it is the aforementioned MIDI version; in the high-tech version [visible here], high-quality samples are used. The musical structure is the same. The video has a simple plot, based on a well-known slapstick: we see a door that is slightly ajar, with a bucket on top of the door. A man appears behind the door, opens it a bit further, and then looks inside. The expectation is, of course, that he will open the door further and get the bucket of water dumped on him, but then the man closes the door. The bucket falls, and the water splashes onto the floor. The scene is recorded with two different cameras: one with a mobile phone and the other with a professional camera. The question is whether the high-tech version adds anything essential to the story. The plot is simple, after all. It’s comparable to coloring black-and-white images: does the color add anything essential? I made a presentation for LOOS on this.