I listened to Yoko Ono’s Intro (Toilet Peace, Telephone Peace, Unidentified Noise) on the Ubu archive. I have to admit, I was really uncomfortable. The piece started with the sound of toilets flushing in strange, unnatural sequences. Instead of feeling peaceful or silly, it made me tense and uneasy. The flushing was exaggerated and repetitive, and it almost felt like something bad was about to happen.

After that came screechy, dissonant sounds that didn’t resemble anything familiar. It was harsh and piercing, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was listening to something out of a horror movie. I kept imagining some monster appearing behind me. I definitely did not enjoy this piece, but I think that’s part of what Yoko Ono intended? Which I think was to push the listener out of their comfort zone and make them question why certain noises feel unsettling.

I guess from that sense it can be seen as a form of art but not really an enjoyable one. Connecting it back to Russolo, I can see how noise can trigger strong emotions, even if they aren’t pleasant. He talked about how noise brings us back to life and surprises us, and this piece did exactly that.