Everything beeps these days: microwave ovens, watches, cars, phones, computers, the doors on trams…. Auditory warnings, large and small scale, surround us in domestic and public spaces; many have strong and specific associations but are paradoxically difficult to locate spatially.

Response Time was originally composed for an octaphonic installation in Metro Hall Square, Toronto. It uses of a set of auditory warnings of my own design to explore that dividing line between ignoring something because we hear it all the time and listening because it signifies something directly relevant to ourselves. It also brings out the abstract beauty and musical qualities of these sounds, attributes usually obscured by their high annoyance factor. Section 5a is the fun bit; the installation as a whole was described in MusicWorks as “an ambient, ghost-like presence”.

Source: 2008