HK Sound Station
6th February – 3 April 2009
Opening: Friday 6th February, 7pm
G/F, 4 Po Yan Street,
Sheung Wan, Hong Kong
Project consultants: Linda Lai, Yeung Yang
Participating artists: Vito Acconci, John Levack Drever, Phoebe Hui, Steve Hui, Keith Lam,
Leung Chi Wo, Edwin Lo, Anson Mak, Cedric Maridet, Kingsley Ng, Kurt Schwitters
HK Sound Station is an exhibition of sound works that surveys Hong Kong visual artists and their relationship with sound. The project is connected to the development and introduction of sound in association with visual arts. The exhibition is constructed around two singular moments in the History of Art—the avant-garde in the early decades of the 20th century and the development of Conceptual Art in the late 60s and 70s. The former is represented by Dada artist Kurt Schwitters, whereas the latter is spoken for by Vito Acconci’s work. Works by John Levack Drever, Phoebe Hui, Steve Hui, Keith Lam, Leung Chi Wo, Anson Mak, Cedric Maridet, Kingsley Ng and Edwin Lo are also included in the show.
The exhibition also draws on the relation and collision between high and low technologies, and the ideas of the modern in contemporary art. Several strategies have been developed to address these issues, specifically through the deliberate installation of low-tech display in the exhibition. The choice of using CD player, an obsolete technology that was iconic in the 80s and 90s but totally archaic now, contrasts with the technology that artists use today to construct their sound works. The inclusion of CD players, one per artist, aims to highlight the sculptural possibilities of sound. Each work is displayed through a modern plinth made of Chinese fibre, on top of which a CD player sits with two headphones. A total of eleven such units, one per artist, originate an unrestricted itinerary for the audience through the space, into which the idea enjoyment and contemplation of the work of art is also brought. This exhibition model is amplified through the use of modern era wall pigment, readdressing the issue of how sound is valued within the art community and the museum environment.
The exhibition includes the publication of a bilingual (Traditional Chinese and English) catalogue comprising descriptions of the selected works and essays by specialists within the field.
Events that come with the exhibition include a Panel Discussion with the Artists and two Gallery Talks held by Para/Site Art Space, as well as a three-class workshop presented by independent organization soundpocket.
Exhibition Events held by Para/Site Art Space:
8th February, 2:30 pm | Gallery Talk by Alvaro Rodriguez Fominaya (Curator) at Para/Site Art Space
11th February, 7:30 pm | Panel Discussion with the Artists at Agnès b. CINEMA!, Hong Kong Art Centre
15th March, 2:30 pm | Gallery Talk by Dominique Chiu (Program Coordinator) at Para/Site Art Space
For further information about the above Exhibition Events, please visit www.para-site.org.hk.
3-Class workshop presented by soundpocket in conjunction with HK Sound Station
12th February, 6:30 pm – 9:00 pm | Sound of Music – listening to cultures by Mike Cooper
21st February, 2 – 5pm | Sound of Music|Music of Sound by Kawai Shiu
28th February, 2 – 5pm | Sound, lake, rain by Cedric Maridet
Venue: soundpocket, Unit C, 10/F, Gee Chang Industrial Building, Tokwawan, Kowloon
Sign up: By emailing soundpocket at yangy@soundpocket.org.hk
For further information about the workshop, please visit www.soundpocket.org.hk.
For more information, please contact Dominique Chiu at 2517-4620 or info@para-site.org.hk.
