the sound is constant:: a sharp fluttering from the inefficient contrails of nearby
data streams. the hollow pop signaling the genesis of a new site. the omnipresent 50 Hz
and 60 Hz hums are the frequencies at which electricity emanates through the internet -
animating everything through its vibrations. but there is never an echo. there are millions of sites like this in cyberspace:: abandoned pages with
intentions long discarded, now simply resting. there is no protocol for the termination of
unused sites because there is no need. infinity has no clutter. this site was designed by
multimedia artist Crystal Wood in early 2016, intended to be a catalogue of their work:
the framework was largely in place, a cleverly efficient script for non-linear, nonhierarchical
interaction with the site content. the content and stylesheet were mostly
finished - a template uncannily matching the matte, burnished aesthetics of the hidden
realm beneath the screen. Crystal Wood took their life later that year - head resting on
their laptop keyboard as they lost their charge. the site was never completed. a poorly encoded data stream is inefficient. commonly this results in a loss of
content during transmission, showering bits across the network along its path. weaker
data streams can be absorbed by stronger passing streams near the source or
destination, erasing the weaker and corrupting the stronger. and there is the rare case
of a misfired data stream. there is not consensus on the cause of this phenomenon, and
it largely goes undetected - a misfired stream soaring infinitely with nothing in its path,
or very rarely terminating at a null part of code or infrastructure.
09.20.2016 the Leipziger Barockorchester is performing JS Bach’s first four
Orchestral Suites as part of the Bayreuth Festival in Bayreuth, Bavaria. The festival is
being broadcasted and streamed by BBC 4, with estimated thousands of international
listeners. Their servers massive and warm, the stream is a beauty in its power. Moments before the downbeat of Suite No. 2: 1. Overture, a listener’s stream in
Oakland, CA goes silent.
