Brian Eno: What Art Does
18 hours ago
- #Art and Technology
- #Ambient Music
- #Brian Eno
- The author recounts a dream about Brian Eno's head in a garden center, symbolizing Eno's pervasive influence.
- Eno's career spans over fifty years, from Roxy Music to ambient music, marked by innovation and controversy.
- Eno's early life in Suffolk was shaped by Catholicism, American music, and modernist art, influencing his eclectic style.
- Eno's family background of tinkerers and amateur musicians contributed to his DIY ethos and artistic sensibilities.
- Eno's education at Ipswich School of Art under Roy Ascott introduced him to conceptual thinking and cybernetics.
- Roxy Music served as a cultural bridge, merging art school aesthetics with pop music, influencing a generation.
- Eno's solo work, like 'Another Green World,' blends experimentation with formal beauty, anticipating future music trends.
- Eno's collaborations in Germany with Can and Cluster influenced his work on David Bowie's 'Low' and 'Heroes.'
- Eno's 'My Life in the Bush of Ghosts' with David Byrne pioneered sampling but raised questions about cultural appropriation.
- Eno's later work, like 'Reflection,' explores generative music and ambient soundscapes, though some find it overly polished.
- Eno's 'Clock of the Long Now' project reflects his preoccupation with time and future-thinking, funded by Jeff Bezos.
- Recent works like 'The Ship' and 'ForeverAndEverNoMore' address environmental and geopolitical concerns, marking a darker turn.
- Eno's legacy is a mix of avant-garde innovation and mainstream appeal, though some critique his work as overly sanitized.