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Taiwanese sound artist to present audio piece in NYC

  • Date:2013-08-06
Taiwanese sound artist to present audio piece in NYC

Upon the invitation of the world-famous Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), Taiwanese sound artist Wang Hong-kai (王虹凱) will be presenting one of her auditory creations in New York from Aug. 10 through Nov. 3.


"Sounds: A Contemporary Score,” the first sound art exhibition to be organized by MoMA, will feature sixteen contemporary artists from around the globe and focus on exploring the social qualities of sound.


Wang's piece, for example, has its roots in a sugar factory from her hometown, the Yunlin township of Huwei. Titled "Music While We Work,” the piece was created by working with the employees of the Huwei Sugar Factory to record their passion for work and the land that sustains their existence.


Wang uses sound, space and time to create an extraordinary piece. By accurately capturing local historical changes and shifting social backgrounds, she was able to relay the common memories shared by Taiwanese factory workers in such a capacity that international audiences can connect with.


The other fifteen sound pieces will tell regional stories from the United States, Uruguay, Norway, Denmark, the United Kingdom, Scotland, Germany, Australia and Japan.


Wang, who first gained international recognition at the 2011 Venice Biennale, has held solo exhibitions in such cities as Taipei, Copenhagen and Luxembourg. She is scheduled to present another aural piece called "The Musical Condition of Reasonable Conspiracy” at the Lisa Cooley Gallery in New York on Aug. 10.



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During the making of “Music While We Work” (咱的做工進行曲), retired Huwei Sugar Factory workers first participated in a technical workshop and were then given microphones to record the sounds of the area where they once worked.


Taiwanese sound artist to present audio piece in NYC

Taiwan-based Wang Hong-kai’s (王虹凱) “The Music Condition of Reasonable Conspiracy” will be part of “The String and the Mirror” joint exhibition at the Lisa Cooley Gallery in New York. “Reasonable Condition,” featuring the contents of an interview between Wang and Australian composer Chris Mann, will be re-enacted by two professional actors and two renowned composers on Aug. 10.