Oog (Eye) for cello and tape shows some resemblance to Auburn, which was written a year earlier, but this time the different sides of the instrument – the continuous bowed sound and several kinds of staccato playing – are introduced right from the start. Also, the piece already bears some distinctive Van der Aa fingerprints, such as the double demisemiquavers and the mechanic pulse. As in Auburn, the sound track creeps in almost unnoticeably and then gradually takes the initiative. The electronic sounds are once more derived from the instrument itself, with the exception of the sound of clashing stones, which persists prominently after the climax. A remarkable feature are the
illusionary contrasts between the dry and spatial acoustic effects. In the end (but here one needs to see a live performance) even the musical reality becomes an illusion, as the cellist mimes bowing her instrument while the final tone is produced by the loudspeakers only. It is the kind of game Michel van der Aa is fond of playing.
— Frits van der Waa
Choreographer Thom Stuart made a choreography on the piece for one solo dancer. This version with dance was premiered at the Venster/Lantaren theatre Rotterdam on the 12th of March 1998.