Event
Cocktail Party Effect, UC Davis Thesis PreviewPost an Event »
Embark Gallery
May 14 - June 11, 2016Info
2 Marina Boulevard San Francisco, CA 94123 Google Map »Reception
May 13, 2016 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm
Coined by cognitive scientist Colin Cherry in 1953, the “Cocktail Party Effect” describes the filtering out of a multitude of sounds in order to focus on a particular conversation. It involves tuning into a single voice and detecting objects of importance, while tuning out visual and auditory clutter. Like the viewing of artwork, it works best when “hearing with both ears,” letting the senses fully activate in engagement with the object. Over the last two years, each artist represented in this exhibition has collected and processed ideas and materials, listening for that singular voice amid the din. They have arrived at a place unique to their research. The work you see here is the culmination and distillation of that process, presented through painting, performance, installation, video, sculpture and printmaking.