'unknown, on play' (performance series)
​​​May 2024 - tbd
Episode 1 - 5 (so far)
Medium:
Sculpture - steel, mixed clay, fabric, plaster, lacquer, wheels, sound system
Performance - original sound composition, improvisation sound + vocal
Duration: approx. 8 minutes per episode
Location: Greatorex Street
Noho Showroom
Saatchi Gallery
Goldsmiths Great Hall
Description:
‘Unknown on Play’ is a long-term performative series, a window into the fluid cultural negotiation and interpretation processes. It serves as my personal decolonizing journey to understanding my roots. Through the sculpture’s evolving state, ongoing vocal and sound layering performance, conveys identity as perpetually becoming rather than arriving. This is but the prologue - with each new exhibition, we will witness further episodes unveiling new orchestration of materials, seeking to distill cultural fluidity’s ever-emerging nature.
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episode 1 & 2
sculpture + original piano composition, sound, vocal, performance
performance duration: 8 mins
location: Greatorex Street
group exhibition: 'always container, sometimes contained'
curator: TRA Collective
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​In episode 1 & 2, starts off being in a position of complete unknown and confusion. Much like a child grew up in a colonial environment. The classical jazz piano composition is played in the background during the performance. An under constructing sculpture takes shape, its surface adorned with tools like metal rods in early arrangements as a metaphorical instrument board, a canvas for creating raw sounds and classical operatic vocal layering (a learned voice that does not belong to me). These first two episodes commence with the piano recording and the sculpture’s sounds blend and form, blending digital with live sounds. The unfinished sculpture stands, tools partially arranged yet suspended in transition, a testament to the ongoing narrative.
​episode 3
sculpture, sound, vocal, performance
performance duration: 8 mins
location: Noho Showrooms
group exhibition: 'Hazy Horizon'
curator: Chaerin Lee, Tim C Huang, Sarotta Lee
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In episode 3, no more tools. The sculpture has taken a life of its own, almost like an instrument; I dove deep into engineering the sculpture to amplify the sounds generated when interacting with it through different types of touch.
The sculpture is made interactive through touch and vibration and is demonstrated for the first time by discovering the endless sounds of the sculpture. My voice also slowly shifted away from classical opera and blended touches of rawness into the tones.
​episode 4
sculpture, sound, vocal, performance
performance duration: 8 mins
location: Saatchi Gallery, London
group exhibition: 'From One To The Many'
curator: London Art Collective
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In this episode, I further intertwining my voice with the sounds of the evolving sculpture. This episode marks a departure from my trained operatic style and to embrace primal vocalizations. The interplay between my evolving vocal tones and the sculpture’s own sonic presence creates a dynamic and immersive experience, reflecting a personal journey of migration and the rediscovery of my heritage. The sculpture becomes not just a visual element but a sonic partner in my exploration.
​episode 5
sculpture, sound, vocal, performance
performance duration: 10 mins
location: Goldsmiths Great Hall (Richard Hoggart Building), London
event: 'Contemperament Music Festival'​
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The exploration of the rediscovery of my heritage continues in this episode.
