Slow Down! Read this through!

www.photoblip.com...

It begs the question doesnt it !

what would you say is the answer>

Please do not create minimal thread-starters that simply ask people to check out a link or video.

Mod Note: Starting A New Thread ?... Look Here First.

That is one valid point and I think many are missing much here. One interesting social test for the masses. Sadley if a woman or man half dresses with nice build was standing there playing with bottle caps or something it would of attracted more attention..

reply to post by Free4Ever2


Yep so many people move to quickly though life.
there is so much to see if we open our eyes and hearts...
but having said this, its bit hard to do a good test in a subway station as most people are trying to get some where and trains run on a schedule, so waiting to hear the music means they are late for work etc.
if the test was conducted in a park for example, i think more people would have noticed him and appreciated the artist.
but i do agree with whats being said in the image
thanks

S & F for you. What a thought provoking piece.
all I can say is "WOW!"

it really does make you think dosent it! i think if anything it promotes slowing down a little and taking life in makes yuo wonder how many things youve missed already!

I loved that. I've always thought of that myself. I remember taking a day off and heading to midtown (Manhattan NYC) just to sit down and observe people. It was rush hour and I don't believe there is another place in the country with a rush as such in NYC. For about two hours I looked as people had the look on the face of being elsewhere, oblivious to their surroundings. It was non stop, some on the verge of running (others doing just that), I must have counted at least two close calls with people almost getting hit by cars, only to momentarily stop for a second before continuing on their frantic dance.

It really hit me hard just how these people, whether they are aware of it or not, have given in completely to the 9-5 must make it to work at all costs routine. They would willingly step over their fellow man if that meant making it to work on time. That's when I realized that our whole way of living, our economic viewpoint, of people being parts of a machine that in reality doesn't exist except for our willingness to participate in it, was going to kill us. It's madness on every level, and it's an all out illusion.

I saw it on 9/11, about the only time (and during the blackout of 03) that I seen a good majority of people snap out of the zombie trance. Coincidentally, it was also a time of compassion which people cared for one another and stranger to stranger conversations transpired. It was a blip in the matrix.

The link on this thread really sunk on me, because that is the exact feeling that I got on that moment of time.

Personally, I wouldn't subject the violin to those cold temps. I wouldn't do that to a solid body guitar either.

$32 bucks in an hour, and no one even stopped to listen? Not too bad.

Originally posted by Ophiuchus 13
That is one valid point and I think many are missing much here. One interesting social test for the masses. Sadley if a woman or man half dresses with nice build was standing there playing with bottle caps or something it would of attracted more attention..

Unfortunatley your right on. Its a sad state of affairs these day when
we cant stop and enjoy the simpler things in life and it is also reflective
of the kind of music that we have been programed to listen to over the
past decades. Only virtuoso's like this tallented young man can keep
this type of excellent music alive in some venue.

reply to post by Free4Ever2


Or maybe classical music isn't very popular.

reply to post by OptimusSubprime


Popularity isn't an indicator of beauty. It could have been country music, but if the performer was good at his craft I am sure people would have appreciated it. Besides, I think you missed the whole point.

WOW amazing post/find... S and Fed!

Beauty is usually viewed in context. What is considered art or music in one place or environment is often passed off without notice in another. Viewed this way it might be safe to say that the environment is part and parcel of the artwork.

A painting some people would "ooh" and "aw" at in a nice museum would be passed by without notice on a street corner for the same reason. It's as if people have a switch that turns on when in the correct setting which allows them to contemplate beauty.

You can't do it when you're in a rush, therefore time and attention are vital components of art and music. With today's short attention spans and lack of art education in public schools it's no wonder most will pass right by.

Yet another byproduct of modern life, the loss of beauty and the ability to sense and comprehend it.
This is a very important aspect to what is wrong with people today and why doom and despair are rampant in the US.

Try the same experiment on any street in any country in Europe. The results will be far, far different.

This is more proof of how we can be controlled.
Not by our own thoughts but by money.

Because none of those people would've been in a hurry if they weren't chasing money.

Truth is, this nation has let itself turn into a rat race.
Led by wall street and fed by main street.
And there's no winner.

I'm glad I don't rush anymore.
I like to soak in my surroundings.
I turned off my "I have to join the rat race" sign a long time ago.

Originally posted by Chewingonmushrooms
reply to post by OptimusSubprime

 

Popularity isn't an indicator of beauty. It could have been country music, but if the performer was good at his craft I am sure people would have appreciated it. Besides, I think you missed the whole point.

No, I understand the point. It's a great point to make, and I agree with the opinion(s) in regards to the outcome of the experiment. MY point is that because classical music isn't very popular, most people wouldn't know the genius of it when presented to them. I personally would have, and I would have wondered why a guy in the subway was so good at playing the violin, but I have a musical background. If there would have been 4 black kids beating on some 5 gallon buckets it would have probably gotten more attention, because that is a style of music that more people are familiar with.

Another point is look where the experiment took place. If they would conduct it in a few different places and then summarize their findings it may be more telling, but they chose a city where someone could be laying on the ground half dead and no one would stop to check on the person.

reply to post by havok


Excellent thought. I am trying to imagine what the rat race really looks like in a crowded subway station or what have you. I am in Wyoming, completely surrounded by beauty and nature etc yet would bet my existence that the same situation would happen here. I am one of the money chasers you spoke of yet completely out of necessity not greed. Well, maybe a little Anyway, my point is that I agree with the other posters who brought up the fact that context plays a major role in this experiment. I mean, how many of those people were TRYING to listen? It is difficult enough to sort out distractions between the cell phone, children, driving, being on time etc. Throw in the angel gabriel himself playing the harp and I probably wouldn't notice because I was keeping my two year old from running off. hahaha.

reply to post by Free4Ever2


the answer IMHO , is that MOST people riding the metro in a morning are on thier way to work , education etc they have to be at a certain place at a certain time - so stopping - however good the music is - is not an option

S&F thanks for the heads up OP.

I found a video of the experiment, but you'll have to excuse the adverts.

reply to post by Big Raging Loner


thanks for sharing! its mutch apreciated that you would find that for this thread

it still perplexes me as to why people dont seem to notice the beauty in life! i would have and have seen me stop and listen to street musicians for hours on end most arnt evn in it for the money just to share the music

There was a similar experiment here in France on May 25 2009 (yes, that's exactly 2 years ago !) when french violonist Renaud Capuçon played "La Mélodie d'Orphée" by Christoph Willibald Gluck on a 1737 Guarnerius at various places in the Paris subway. More than 18 000 people passed by and he only got a few euros. Two days later, he sold out at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées. This experiment was turned into a short movie directed by Simon Lelouch, son of famous director Claude Lelouch. That movie can be watched here : www.vimeo.com... He starts playing at 3:40, and the part at 5:30 is beautiful (I don't think it was scripted). The Joshua Bell experiment was an inspiration for this movie, as said in the closing credits.

Personally I love classical music, and Bach is my favorite composer. Too many people now a days (I sound like an old fart) think of classical music as a kind of background sound to movies or commercials. It's sad really. But that's what happens when you have a separation of music from musician. With computers making most studio sounds today, and performers taking the role of artist, it doesn't surprise me at all. I remember going to a bar/lounge with a band playing in the back ground and I was mesmerized by the difficulty of playing their musical instruments, and I wasn't even a fan back then of the genre.

Today's generation is disconnected from everything, nature, communication (texting, twitter, facebook etc..), music, art, true education (a degree does not mean knowledge), family, sense of community, true political power and a host of other things I am sure I'm forgetting.

Simulacra and Simulation come to mind.