Like Birds Singing Other Birds’ Songs, Nio empowers the user to cue the sounds and determine how many will play simultaneously. Each time I clicked and initiated or clicked and froze a chorus, I felt like I was conducting an a cappella group. The music created by playing a combination of the choruses reminds me of Rockapella, but there is a difference. Nio sounds more like an amalgamation of tribal music and contemporary jazz. I like the clock-like arrangement of the visual cues. For me, it represents the order of the piece. As the introduction states, the artist purposed to create layers of expressive, primal sound that he calls music poetry. That is accomplished. Just as Maria Mencia associated the visual representation of the birds with the phonemes related to their calls, Jim Andrews applies the same technique. The letter graphics that accompany the sounds relate to associated phonemes or their syllabic nuclei.
The “Song Shapes” experience is similar. The “Round Poem” is created with a counter clockwise motion that begins with syllabic nuclei. The motion is continuous and, in time, creates a visual image that is basically round but has the dimension associated with layers. On the left side, there is a slight deviation in the continuum that possibly represents the end of a line in poetry. As the graphic progresses, the deviation becomes less and less noticeable. “Ound Poem” presents a continuous, winding ribbon of phonemes that creates a textured blue mass. For me, the addition of “Mango Approved” bridges the divide between the cold and distant electronic world and the reality of the warm, human blood-coursing-through-our-veins world. The fact that Jim Andrews would include this link convinces me that he cares about the connection people make with his art, unlike other artists who have an “I don’t give a damn if you get it or not” attitude. An artist who appreciates the response of a user through the eyes of his kitten is not a cold, distant machine.
“Now and Then” reminds me of x-rays or MRI images. Generally, in an x-ray, the densest tissue is the darkest in the image. Modern technology can capture one area of the body from many different angles, like the images in these frames. For me, this link evokes the idea of the anatomy of a poem.
The Source Code link tells me a lot about Jim Andrews. The fact that he makes his code available to the public proves that he is an unselfish artist. It is inspiring that he is so willing to share his hard work with others.
By the time I finished exploring this work, I realized something that I greatly appreciate. I WASN’T A NERVOUS WRECK! Nio really is an enjoyable experience. Again, I attribute this effect to the fact that the user maintains control of the pace of the experience and therefore is not forced into sensory overload. Also, the graphics in the work are orderly and peaceful. The flowing blue images in the visual poems are calming and remind me of the gentle movement of fish swimming in an aquarium.