It is a week since Silent Cacophony and much is still arriving from artists and others involved, yet what is already clear is that this intervention has affected many people in a deep deep way. Not just those involved but secondary involvement, and those fairly removed from the core and with no contact with the central players. Throughout the build up many officers in local authorities and institutions were bending over backwards to ensure things happened, it was somewhat unbelievable, now I am getting the most incredible stories.
When creating an art intervention, you set out to create a ripple but you do not expect anything; to do so would be pointless and lead to nowt, except disappointment. Yet when the ripple becomes a wave you have to step back because it unsettles the sand and what floats to the surface is not always what you would expect or may like to see.
I would love to say Silent Cacophony has left everyone very happy yet that would not be true, it is important to state people are not necessarily unhappy, but there has been consequences not previously seen on this scale. An unsettling occurred, a shift in perspective. Previous interventions have created this experience before, there are a few who are reading this who know exactly what I am stating here, although I would leave it to them whether they wish to comment.
Silent Cacophony has taken Platform-7's art interventions into a different sphere. Someone in Margate levelled a responsibility at me back in 2011. Although I respected the woman who went on and on at me I was fairly flippant, not out of arrogance but more ignorance, I was unaware of quite how that intervention was affecting people. This was the same as for Moonbow’s. I was much more prepared this time but still I was somewhat overwhelmed in periods.
The ease in which the event developed allowed me not to become bogged down although I became concerned several times for others. All seems a little OTT? Maybe! City University are following Silent Cacophony, their report will be cold and academic and possibly make this post look silly. What is important now though is to state how it appears this moment; I believe the SC blog will demonstrate what developed during the making and delivery of this intervention. Whether the resonance will increase from now on in or slowly fade will be left to time to decide. “Success”, a word that does not fit comfortably with me, has been achieved with Silent Cacophony as it has changed people’s perspectives, mainly of themselves and on how they think about a subject, or number of subjects. That was the aim and that is what happened.