The Singing Ringing Cities class!
My final week at the China Academy of Art seemed to go so fast. My class and I were busy preparing for the final exhibition all week, transforming a large empty studio space into an immersive sound installation. Everyone really worked hard to bring it together. One issue we had was regarding loudspeakers. We had to try to find a source for at least 16 speakers, and this was proving quite difficult. Eventually, we got some from an exhibition company, and I was told we would have 19, which I thought an odd number. When they arrived, it turned out to be 19 pairs – 38 total. We’d have used every one of them if it weren’t for the limited power sockets in the room.
Panoramic shot of the workspace being transformed
Earlier in the week, I visited the Faxi Temple one last time to see Professor He and do some final recordings. Some of the students came with me, and we recorded a fantastic tea artist and a talented guqin player (a Chinese string instrument). I even had a go myself, after first making sure the microphones were off. I said goodbye to Professor He, and he gave me a gift of a tea set and some custom tea from his hometown. The tea was called Three Leaves One Pod, referring to the appearance of the plant from which it is taken. I told the professor I would drink it while making the soundscape for his film about the painting of the temple walls.
Later in the week, Rebecca took me to a traditional Chinese opera. We went for a superb meal in the city centre, before going on to the theatre. We even had seats in the front row, right in front of the musicians. I didn’t have a clue what was going on in the story, but the singers – an all-female cast – were incredibly talented, belting out these unbelievably complicated birdsong-like melodies, even doing some impressive acrobatics. It was a remarkable performance.
There was a lot to do during the final few days as the exhibition took shape, and we had to stop occasionally for press and so forth. The main exhibition was an immersive multi-speaker soundscape in the main room we had. You can read an article about the exhibition at this link (or, if you can’t read Mandarin, you can look at the pictures).
I particularly enjoyed this Parkinson style interview we were asked to do
The class split into four groups to set up the installation, with each representing an aspect of Hangzhou:
The first group took the green spaces of the city as their theme. They used field recordings of birdsong, water and weather across multiple speakers, and set up an incredible tunnel of woven green thread. One of the students was given the nickname Spiderman because of his relentless pace in weaving these webs. They dotted Bluetooth speakers around the netting, creating the illusion of birds calling to one another. They even used some Max/MSP skills to have an interactive element – a camera was concealed in the foliage, which triggered a sound clip when motion was detected. This meant that the sound of a bird squawking and flapping was heard whenever anyone walked past this point.
The second group set up a stunning temple space, creating the feel of sunset with dim red lighting and 3-dimensional silhouettes of distant temple buildings. Speakers were set up for tolling bells, and the chanting monks were layered up in hypnotic surround sound. At intervals, a shakuhachi flute was heard, as though playing from a distant temple (my recording of the instrument merchant in Hanzghou city centre).
The third group made use of the sounds of the art studio and campus. They decorated their space with painted canvas, and played a video of splashing paint. A wii remote was then disguised to resemble a brush, and a patch was made which triggered various splashing sounds when this was waved at the canvas. At the back, the sound of running water could be heard. The students had set up a strip of shiny metallic paper, suspended between two pillars and covered in water drops, with a blue light shining onto it. The effect was a rippling blue water illusion reflected onto the wall, which perfectly complimented the placid water soundscape.
The fourth group used a colour scheme which drew together bamboo, leaves, tea and canvas. They set up bamboo curtains and scattered the floor with dead leaves. The recordings of the tea artist were blended into a percussive surround soundscape. An interactive element was added by setting up a board with hidden contact mics – This triggered a speaker to play random recordings of the guqin whenever anyone took a seat.
In the back room, we showcased some of the individual work from the students. A film of soundscapes, 2 hours in length, was played through a television and stereo. The students had each contributed a short soundscape made from the recordings collected, with some images to express their creative process. We also put all the graphic scores from week 2 on the wall, and played these as a video on another television.
It was quite a job to make sure everything was in working order for when the official visitors arrived. We showed round the leaders of CAA and some government officials, explaining the significance of each part of the exhibition. They particularly enjoyed the interactive elements I think, and we received some great compliments about the work. Of course, this was entirely down to the students, and they were clearly as proud as I was that it had all come together.
A final ceremony was held on the Saturday, with all the visiting teachers once again taking to the stage to address everyone. Rebecca and I received a certificate each and said a few words. This was an opportunity to say goodbye to the students. Many of them took photos, which they sent me afterwards. One even gave me a painting they had done of me, which I was delighted to receive. Two other students gave me a lovely ocarina, a traditional instrument made of clay.
Later that evening, we went for a final meal, hosted by Professor Wu. There was a lot to eat and drink – he brought out his custom wine. Afterwards, some of the teachers were heading to the nearby karaoke bar, but I declined, being concerned about fitting all the tea and instruments I was bringing back into my already heaving case.
Early the next morning, we took a coach to the airport. I could from the weary expressions of some of my companions that I’d made a wise decision in swerving the karaoke bar – they had arrived back at 4am, just a few hours previously. Rebecca met us at the airport to say goodbye, and I said that I hoped to return again soon. As 10+ hour flights go, this wasn’t too bad, being a clear day with a nice view. We flew through the Gobi Desert then across Siberia, so I gazed out of the window for the entire journey.
China was an incredible experience, and it’s funny to think how anxious I was about it before I went. I visited some amazing places and collected some brilliant recordings, of which I will make good use. But the best thing about it was the people – I was blown away by the hospitality and friendliness of everyone I encountered. The other teachers, the fellow visitors, Rebecca, Ryoichi and the others from CAA, were fantastic company, and I’ve certainly made some very good friends with whom I’ll keep in touch. Finally, the students were simply brilliant, and I came away feeling like I had learned more from them than I had taught. Now that I’m back in Salford, I’m already thinking about when I might be able to return. For now though, it’s good to be back home, and I have many, many recordings to go through. Stay posted for some sounds of Hangzhou.
Adam Matthew Hart 