Listen.HK showcase at CIL Creative Bulletin #2- Lithium Carbon

The showcase was held during late January and early February. Documentation photos and comments quotations will update soon.

Thanks for your support to my work and the exhibitions!

P.S. Phase III of Listen.HK to be started soon.

Meaning of Noise

Noise is all around us and we usually ignore them, like the loud conversations on phone, children crying, playing and so on.

But somehow, some of the sounds have meaning and we usually still ignore them. During this period, it is the time of the SU and affiliated society elections. CityU and other universities have the traditions that all the proposed societies yelling out slogans to attract people's attention. And all of these sounds are interesting that what they are yelling is just like they will having a fight (if you don't know Cantonese, although they are fighting to win in the elections!) or a demonstration. The sounds make people feel annoying and some people hate it.

Although we have the above feelings, still their sounds are very interesting that there are full of emotions. To some extent, they are successfully attracted us but the noisy messages are not communicated well to the voters. Of course, they are producing Low-fi sound which is so messy and people cannot really catch up what they are yelling. After hearing the following recording, sounds become Hi-fi and the messages are more clear by hearing them in headphone.

http://sweb.cityu.edu.hk/sunnychan2/society_yelling.mp3

Silence

I am so impressed by John Cage's project on silence. His work 4'33" makes me thinking a lot, especially one question: is there really any absolute silence?

I should say NO! Otherwise, I should say the piece is recorded by a not working recorder. It is because the air sound and some unwanted sound will still in a work. So, absolute silence can just happened in a vacuum. Silence can just consider as something that is trying to stop and not to make sound.

I have done a similar performance at Tsim Sha Tsui. And I think silence can be a way to be concentrated ourselves to hear what's happening around and can be a source of our work. Let's take a look / listen (i.e. appreciate by closing your eyes after you have clicked play) in order to to feel how noisy the weekend TST is.

All About Noise

Welcome to my sound art blog! From now on, I will share with you something about sound and I will talk about the latest development of Listen.HK.

Typhoon Koppu strikes Hong Kong last week. In the sense of recording technology, if we use a wind shield for microphones, nearly no noise can be recorded and we just can record silence. However, I find that when strong wind strikes directly to doors, through the friction between door and air, noise will be developed.

According to the discussion last week about the noise as unwanted sound, loud sound and disturbance in communication, I have recorded the sound when Koppu strikes directly to the doors of the concourse located where I live. You may say they are noise as it really disturbs the security guard for the whole night. But there is still different rhythm and pitch found. I can tell this could also treat as a piece of sound.

If I record them in stereo, it will be more interesting!

Let's enjoy!

WARNING: As the sounds are really loud when recording, it is recommended to turn down the volume while listening. Also, please don't listen continuously. Otherwise, they will harm your ears!

All of them are recorded on 14/9/2009