For a song to be catchy, it doesn't necessarily need to be enjoyable. If you've ever lay awake at night with It's A Small World or Macarena keeping you up, you understand the paradox. In fact, part of what makes a song catchy is purely biological, as we learn from one piece in Biorhythm: Music and the Body, showing through August 6 at Eyebeam Art And Technology Center in New York City.
The show, created by Trinity College, Dublin's Science Gallery and presented as part of the World Science Festival, promises to let guests "Trace the power of an impactful pop hook in a song, measuring the way our brains and bodies react, down to the responses in our fingertips." In other words, to quote the catchy-irritating song The Safety Dance, "We can dance. We can dance. Everybody look at your hands."
Besides trying out the catchy-o-meter, guests can play a theremin, immerse themselves in a "Sound Capsule" or get a lesson in the music program Max/MSP, among a wide array of experiments, installations and performances.
See the slideshow below for more things to do at Biorhythm, and check out the exhibition at Eyebeam, 540 W. 21st Street, New York, NY, through August 6.
