The cinema space is an isolated black box that disconnects the spectator from the outside world. Talking and the use of phones is politely discouraged. Instead, the spectator is invited to watch and listen to what they see and hear in the cinema space.

Perhaps the cinema is a place for the tuning of our visual and auditory senses; to "quieten the mind and render it susceptible to divine intervention” as Cage suggested. American experimental filmmaker Peter Hutton once said:

“For the most part, people don’t allow themselves the time or the circumstances to get into a relationship with the world that provides freedom to actually look at things.”

Perhaps the cinema is a place to experience the gradual, uninterrupted passing of real time.

2 stills from *Study of a River* [1996-1997] dir. Peter Hutton

Inside the cinema the spectator sits quietly still, looking forwards for the duration of the screening. Film time is linear time, unfolding in a space that remains physically static and seemingly permanent.

The various conditions of a typical cinema space - sound, light, furnishings, seating, temperature, air quality - are highly controlled to create a comfortable, distraction-free environment. Carefully positioned cinema loudspeakers behind the screen and mounted around the walls and ceiling direct specific channels of sound into the seating area. Soundproof walls, absorption panels, soft furnishing and thick curtains help to reduce extraneous noise and dampen the natural acoustics of the cinema space. Except for the presence of fire exit signs, house lighting is switched off for the duration of the film, while the entrance doors remain closed. All this is designed in order to promote a focused, immersive experience of the film performance.

The cinema space however is never silent. There is always an audible hum and rumble - the sound of the space itself. Air quality control in a post-pandemic age makes this more so.

No two cinema spaces sound alike. Every room possesses its own particular acoustic character.