Chilly Most hits hard. He may be wrapping up his London series with this stunning installation right near Big Ben.
In case you are unfamiliar with Big Ben, which is understandable because it’s kind of an esoteric reference, Big Ben is the place in London made famous when Brian Eno visited it in the 1990s. The visit left such an impression on Eno he wrote about it in his diary.
“24 JANUARY Stewart over at 9.15 for Big Ben visit. Visit almost aborted by both of us wearing Russian hats, which set the guards off – they were quite snippy about it (Cold War flashbacks obviously). Chaperoned by someone called Brian (a real, genuine, Brian-ish Brian), we ascended the 294 steps with 14 Argentinians. Stewart much more knowledgeable about the whole lot than Brian-the-guide – pointing out clock escapements etc. We stood in the belfry for the 11.00 a.m. chimes. Looked at fine gilded detail on finials at clock face – wondering if they were visible at ground level. They were – as subliminal detail. Stewart explained theory of ‘least distinguishable detail’ (Christopher Alexander has it too), and we discussed the idea of working beyond perceptible ranges of detail the idea that the mind registers detail without necessarily being able to distinguish it. Walked round Westminster and had lunch in a pub. Then back for Prime Minister’s Questions at the House of Commons. Noisy, riotous, adolescent – Stewart said ‘compressed. All staff very cheeky, like Ealing Comedy army privates. Occurred to me that where rank is totally secure and unquestioned, cheekiness is more tolerated (because it isn’t a threat, just a game). In evening to Arcadia by Stoppard. Magnificent, intricate, complete and intellectual piece of work. Would it ever be possible to achieve such multi layeredness in music? One of the advantages of having a group of people working on something is that they are all polishing their detail – and the concentration of all of it is impressive. Andrew Logan and Anthea loved it too. Interesting mirror: as the future is unpredictable, so the past is unguessable. Both history-thinking and future-thinking are forms of scenario-building.”
