Sparkling joy through the architect-inspired music and sound art that took place at Wonderfruit.
Musicity, a site-specific sound/arts practice inspired, founded by Nick Luscombe invites musicians and recording artists to compose tracks in response to buildings and locations in cities around the world. This year in Bangkok, Muscity had used the main sites across the city and collaborated closely with local and international artists to create a unique sound that was showcased at Wonderfruit. See what Nick Luscombe has to say about the project!
ASL365: What locations around Bangkok have you chosen to explore and interpret this year?
NL: Wat Arun, The Museum Siam, Memorial Bridge, Hua Lamphong Railway Station, Democracy Monument, Tha Tian Market and The Giant Swing.
NL: What are the procedures in interpreting the City’s sound?
For Musicity x Bangkok we worked with 5 international artists from the Erased Tapes record label (Hatis Noit, Midori Hirano, Daniel Brandt, Douglas Dare and Rival Consoles) plus 2 Thai artists, Supergoods and Nannue Tipitier. They each visited their respective locations gathering field recordings and inspiration from each space. They then took this and created music. Usually artists have around three months to complete this process…each artist had 5 days this time!! We have commissioned over 200 tracks so far and every artist has a different approach. Sometimes it’s more about research, other times we work with architects and engineers to provide data of the space via acoustic testing. This info is then passed on to each artist.
The process is a fascinating element of our work and helps inform our global practice.
NL: The initial ideas were based around a passion for sound and space, and the idea that we could help create an ongoing dialogue between architects and musicians via commissions, talks, tours and films. We launched across London in 2010 and then swiftly developed the project in Singapore and Tokyo soon after. To date we have also launched in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Oslo, Tallinn, Coventry and a remote part of Northern Japan called Memu.
ASL365; How do artists/DJs collect sounds?
NL: They sometimes use their phones or often portable handheld recorders such as the Zoom H6. Artists visit locations and capture daytime sound activity in and around the space. Others chose to visit locations in the middle of the night to find almost inaudible sonic characteristics of the space itself…creaking windows and woodwork..or maybe strange-sounding radiators!
ASL365: Where does Musicity foresee itself in 5 years time?
NL: By 2025 we will be live in many more cities working with musicians, sound artists and visual artists. We have started work on the next stages of the project which will also involve much more close integration with city developments themselves.
Asia is central to our plans and we of course hope to be working with Wonderfruit on many iterations in the future!
ASL365: How does Bangkok’s sound vary from other countries?
NL: There is such an incredible sonic energy to Bangkok that is totally unique – the language, the sounds of street markets, the tuk tuks…they all play a part in the soundscape of this incredible city.
For more information on Musicity check out their website and Facebook page here.
