Columbia Spectator - September 28, 2007

Audio Adds New Flair to Old Art

[Excerpts from the Article]

"In an era of podcasts and cell-phone tours, it seems that any handheld digital device can offer information about your favorite artwork. But what of the traditional audio tour? Unlike the manifold podcasts available on museum Web sites, audio tours are not designed for a specific age group or demographic. They lack the novelty factor of a cell-phone tour, but audio tours are perhaps the most accessible, least time-consuming supplement to your museum visit."

"The Whitney audio tour’s most memorable segment is its episode on The Twenty Cent Movie by Reginald Marsh. The 1936 painting depicts a motley crowd outside a Depression-era movie theater. The episode opens with the crackling sounds and far-away voice of an old radio announcement: “Nowadays, when a man walks into a hotel, and requests a room on the 19th floor, the clerk asks him, ‘for sleeping or jumping?’” The ambient introduction is nearly synesthetic—one can almost see the desperation articulated in the sound byte on the figures’ faces."

"When done correctly, audio tours are the ideal accompaniment to sometimes-inaccessible modern art...  So, next time you are in the mood for a little modern art, pick up an audio tour. Sometimes two senses are better than one."