2006
In this work, Maurice Benhamou analyzes how Max Neuhaus broke with classical musical temporality to invent a true sonic sculpture.
According to Benhamou, Neuhaus's work shifts the artistic focus from listening to an event (music) to listening to a place. Here are the key points of his analysis:
Neuhaus does not use sound to tell a story or follow a score, but to define a physical space. Sound becomes a "substance" that transforms the viewer's architectural perception.
Unlike a concert, which has a beginning and an end, Neuhaus's installations (such as Times Square) are permanent. Benhamou emphasizes that this permanence allows sound to become "invisible," integrating into the environment until the visitor becomes aware of it through their own movement.
True to the title of his book, Benhamou explores how sound creates a field of experience where the listener is free. The "visible" (the urban space or the gallery) is modified by the "unpredictable" (the sound sensation that arises without a direct visual source).