Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
More than a posh screensaver?, 11 Oct 2009
First, let's get this straight - this is a software DVD, with a second disc containing an interview with Brian Eno. You cannot view "77 Million Paintings" by putting it in your DVD player. The product description is a little unclear on this. When you load the disc into your computer you are given instructions on how to copy it to the hard drive (not complicated, though you will need a reasonably modern computer, and the software takes up over a gigabyte of HD space). When you run the program it goes into Full Screen mode, and you are offered options on how fast you want the transitions to run, and whether you have music with it or not. The visuals are enjoyable, in a slightly 1960s "liquid light show" style: abstract patterns, blobs of colour, what look illustrations from old books, all merging into one another in a random way. There usually seem to be at least three images up on screen at once - certain images recur every now and then, but the "77 Million" thing seems to be about the different combinations you can have, not the number of images. It's all very peaceful and relaxing, and I have put it on my MacBook at work for times when I'm doing paperwork - it's more interesting than most screensavers, and is constantly changing.
The soundtrack is also a randomly generated collage of sounds, although to my ears it is not as interesting as the visuals - it consists of clangs, boinks, and creepy vocoder vocal samples, and is not particularly melodic. In short, "Music For Airports" it ain't. I have actually found it better to switch off the soundtrack and play something else in iTunes.
What's it for? Well, I suppose it makes a nice conversation piece, just ticking over in the corner (and it does look great on a large screen). If you want a piece of installation art in your own home you should buy this. It doesn't actively demand your attention, but is attractive to glance at every now and then. I'm a big fan of Eno, so I had to have this, alongside a large collection of his ambient music, and his early rock experiments.
It comes in an attractive hardback book package, with an illustrated essay on how Eno came to produce this particular installation.
My only criticism is that it ought to be possible to offer upgrades to the software over the internet - improve the soundtrack for a start!
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![Brian Eno - 77 Million Paintings [DVD] [2007]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41r1ZsQLjpL._SL75_SS50_.jpg)
![Brian Eno - 14 Video Paintings [DVD] [2005]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/5178ZF8N6EL._SL75_SS50_.jpg)
![Brian Eno - 14 Video Paintings [DVD] [2005]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/5178ZF8N6EL._SL500_SS90_.jpg)
