In 1859, Darwin’s On The Origin of Species further removed humanity’s sense of centrality through the realization that we are one among thousands of species existing in a complex ecological web. During the 1500s, the astronomer Copernicus published his groundbreaking ideas about the heliocentric nature of the universe. It was then, Eno pointed out, that we realized that the earth and the galaxy to which it belongs are not at the center of the universe but are instead part of a vast cosmology.
21, Eno lectured about this exhibit at the Carpenter Center for Performing Arts in Long Beach. “I don’t have ideas that turn into art I make things and then ask, ‘Why do I like it?’” Eno started his lecture with a lengthy historical detour. This installation is currently on display at the California State University Long Beach Art Museum through Dec.
The visuals are temporary and therefore impossible to recapture, creating an aesthetic of transience. Each combination quickly moves into extinction only to be replaced with a new sequence. The program randomly selects images from each bank that fade into one another to create constantly undulating imagery. Since there are 100 images in each bank, 77 Million Paintings represents the total number of possible combinations. Premiering at the Venice Biennale in June 2007, 77 Million Paintings consists of a variety of video screens connected to computers, each containing four banks of image data. Like many British rockers of the late ’60s and early ’70s, Eno’s career was birthed during art school. The Winchester School of Art was where Eno first began experimenting with light installations and where he developed his appreciation for principles of chance as applied to both visual art and music.Įno’s latest endeavor is his experimental installation, 77 Million Paintings. John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno was born in 1948 in Suffolk, England. Although he is an artist, producer, writer, and more, he was first known as an avant-garde musician with the pioneering rock band Roxy Music. Later he became known as one of the forerunners of ambient music, and he went on to produce recordings for bands such as U2 and Coldplay. Brian Eno has a resume that’s even longer than his name.