Repercussions Series

Experimenting with the “Voicing” of Everyday Objects

Space Is Only Noise If You Can See, Waley Art, Taipei, 2016

Repercussions is an ongoing project that explores the sonic potential of everyday objects through sound capture and resonance amplification. Found objects are equipped with contact microphones and surface transducers, allowing them to receive and project sound simultaneously, creating dynamic audio feedback and evolving sonic landscapes. The project manifests in live performances, sound installations, and immersive works. Inspired by David Tudor’s Rainforest series, it uses modern technology to create environments where sounds flow organically, inviting audiences to experience the interplay of resonance, space, and materiality.

Misplaced Resonance

Multichannel Sound Installation, Waley Art, Taipei, 2016

Misplaced Resonance is a multichannel sound installation that transforms discarded objects through audio feedback and resonance amplification. It explores the presence of sound and its interaction with space and materials, honoring the somber atmosphere of Wanhua, one of Taipei’s oldest districts, where the homeless rely on recycling. The installation is activated by a recorded phrase from a string quartet, which resonates through objects from junkyards. Each object, equipped with contact microphones and transducers, acts as a sound mirror and a speaker, amplifying its unique frequencies. The evolving drone reflects the distinctive characteristics of each object, creating a dynamic auditory environment. Visitors experience shifting resonances that reveal the hidden disharmonies of daily life. The resulting misalignment and dissonance serve as a metaphor for societal incongruities, encouraging the audience to engage with the installation as observers and participants.

Chunchu Shan Project

Immersive Sound Installation, MOUart, Beijing, 2016

2016 Repercussions: Chunchu Shan Project, MOUArt, Beijing, China

This immersive sound installation draws inspiration from Toad Mountain (Chunchu Shan 蟾蜍山) near Gongguan, Taipei, home to Huan Min New Village, Taipei’s oldest surviving military dependents’ village. Built between 1949 and 1960, these villages housed soldiers and their families and are now threatened by urban development, prompting preservation efforts.

I repurposed found objects as sound mirrors and speakers by attaching surface transducers that amplify their resonant frequencies. This multi-channel configuration enhances subtle vibrations, creating evolving drone sounds that invite audiences to explore layered, dissonant auditory landscapes where memory and reality intertwine. Reflecting the rich histories of urban spaces, this work amplifies overlooked narratives, allowing objects to “speak” and bridging the past and present through sound. It challenges the notion of forgetting, presenting memory as a vital part of the present.

A generative player designed to convey the resonances of Toad Mountain’s hidden history, supported by Dimension Plus.

Repercussions: Untitled

Call and Response

Interactive Sound Performance, Museum of Science and Industry, Manchester, 2014

As part of the Harmonious Society exhibition during the Asia Triennial Manchester 2014, this performance at the Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI) explored the relationship between sound, materiality, and the environment within an industrialized context. Using contact microphones and surface transducers, found objects were transformed into dynamic sound mirrors and resonant speakers. The performance generated evolving audio feedback loops, encouraging real-time audience engagement with the soundscape. The interactions between the vibrations of the objects and the surrounding environment transformed the space into an immersive auditory experience, revealing the hidden sonic qualities of everyday objects and their ability to shape collective perceptions of sound.