Zai Tang – Sonic Medi(t)ations (Jul – Sep 2023)
Zai Tang presented Sonic Medi(t)ations, a series of performances created in response to See Me, See You: Early Video Installation of Southeast Asia. Just as the video camera and the CRT monitor redefined our engagement with the world of images—and thus our sense of self—so too have music technologies. They have extended the horizon of the ear, transforming the possibilities of music through the expansion of our aural sensibilities.
During his residency, Tang focused on a different piece of music technology for each performance, experimenting with each instrument to explore its idiosyncrasies as a medium for sonic expression. Different frameworks and strategies regarding live performances were developed, with each session riffing off a single idea or concept from a different artwork. The performances featured various collaborators who were invited to bring other mediums and responses into the mix.
Read Zai Tang’s reflections on his residency journey here.
About the artist
Zai Tang is a multidisciplinary artist based in Singapore. His solo work responds to the question: What does it mean to listen to nature in a time of ecological crisis and mass extinction? Influenced by acoustic ecology, phenomenology, as well as electronic and experimental music, he explores a variety of approaches towards the abstraction and visualisation of sounds recorded in wildlife-rich habitats under threat in Singapore. Transformed from their original state, these sonorities are combined with other elements—drawing, animation, projection, performance—to create immersive and reflexive experiences that explore notions of awareness and connectivity between what is human and nonhuman.