In Pursuit Of Silence

classified PG
Film

Please note: This was screened in Oct 2016

Director
Patrick Shen
Details
81 mins, 2015, USA/Belgium/China/Germany/Hong Kong/India/Japan/Taiwan/UK
The word ‘silence’ boils down to an interruption of our own egos in the world. To be silent is to look into oneself, so it’s little wonder in the age of noise and distraction, that our relationship with silence has become more critical than ever.
- George Prochnik, author of In Pursuit of Silence

In this meditative documentary, director Patrick Shen explores our relationship with sound, the impact of noise on our lives and the increasingly elusive notion of silence.

Do we ever have a pure experience of silence? Does silence have an existential dimension? In 1952, artist and composer John Cage challenged the world with his seminal silent composition “4’33”, proclaiming that silence could, and should, be considered music. Using Cage as its starting point this contemplative film extrapolates along similar philosophical and spiritual lines to offer a quietly nuanced portrait of our affiliation with this ultimate listening experience. Taking you on an immersive cinematic journey around the globe – from the Orfield Laboratories in Minneapolis (the quietest place on earth), to the streets of Mumbai during the wild festival season (the loudest city on the planet); from Trappist and Zen monasteries, to schools suffering under the elevated trains in New York City, it seems that silence is now quickly passing into legend, yet remains an integral and necessary part of being human.

A fascinating exploration of how we have approached silence through the centuries, this eye (and ear!) opening film challenges us to step away from the cacophony of our urban lives, to pipe down, and to both see - and hear - the world anew.


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