Engagement - durational - something to catch attention for long enough - slight changes within the sounds - you know something is changing or coming so it's enough to keep your attention even though it's a long piece

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Thinking about sound art in terms of engagement, it's quite an effective 'material' to work with because it is a durational  thing. It can have quite an immersive quality (sometimes - depending on context I guess).

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Recently, I've found quite a few looong sound art pieces which use editing techniques that morph sounds together. It's quite an interesting effect because I feel like it then 'latches onto people's engagement'. I think it's hard in art too keep audiences interested for long enough for them to actually engage in artworks, it's especially noticeable walking around galleries! However, within these types of sound works, there are subtle changes, very very slow changes, you're not sure what is happening, but you wait in anticipation almost becsaue you know something is happening - how is the sound going to resolve or transform and blend into another sound?

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Problem?

it's quite tricky with sound art, becsaue I think you can only appreciate it really if you like sounds? um

I enjoy sounds more now because of this understanding I've developed through what we've learnt, but how can people even spend time listening to something if they don't like sounds? - or actually maybe the problem isn't even that they don't like sounds, people just don't realise that they are there, because of passing HEARING - it's one of those troubles with such a new art form I guess, and with how it's such a less-considered art form. Or maybe not even that, thinking about that argument  I want to bring up in my dissertation: the lack of language, therefore understanding around engaging the sense of hearing. Differences between hearing and listening........