lll Movement

2012-01-09T08:29:00.000-08:00

Here is a video of the performance on 3 Dec 2011. The 30-minute performance is condensed to about 6 minute here. Enjoy!!

Interview on 938, 29 Dec 2011

2011-12-29T09:44:00.001-08:00

Team Aural Interview on 938, 29Dec2011 by Tang Ling-Nah

||| Movement (Shuffle) Rehearsal Video

2011-12-22T07:47:00.000-08:00

This video documents the rehearsal of ||| Movement (Shuffle) held on 26 November 2011.

Photo by Sherman See-Tho

2011-11-19T11:54:00.001-08:00

||| Movement is now moving on to Part 2. TitledMovement (Shuffle), it re-engages the physical installation and soundscape’szones for remembering, contemplating and transforming through dance: bodilymovements and interaction set against the fragmentation of past relics, theromantic backdrop of Fort Canning Park and the youthful aspirations of theneighbouring collegiate.

Venue: Stamford Green (transitory spacebetween NMS and escalators leading to Fort Canning)

The performance will take place on 3 Dec 2011, 7pm withinthe installation.
You are also welcome to attend the preview on 26 Nov 2011, 7pm.
Please RSVP the day you would like to attend.
Dress code: Casual

||| Movement is createdby Team Aural (architecture collective atelier | small, visual artist Tang Ling-Nah& sound artist Zai Tang ).
||| Movement Shuffle is presented by Team Aural and activated by dancers BerniceLee, Catherine Erica Cheok, Chan Jia Ai Christina, Faye Lim, Mafalda Almeida,Neo Yanny Zong, Daniel Sahagun Sanchez, Sherry Tay, Xinyan Wu.

Art Direction by TangLing-Nah
Shuffle Sound Score by Zai Tang; Movement Score by Faye Lim

Supported by ACCLAIMLighting, National Parks Board

In the case of rain on 3Dec, the show may be delayed till 8pm to start (pray the clouds hold). If thatdoes not happen, the show will be postponed to 4 Dec 7pm. Please check out ourblog http://lllmovement.blogspot.com/ & contactTang Ling-Nah@9747 4298 for more information. Thanks!

||| Movement (Shuffle) 5 Nov-4 Dec 2011, with Performance on 3 Dec 2011

2011-11-17T09:48:00.001-08:00

Team Aural is glad to announce that the exhibition of ||| Movement at the same site is extended till 4 Dec 2011.
This second part is titled || Movement (Shuffle) and consists of a dance movement which will be presented on Saturday, 3 Dec 2011, 7pm onwards (weather-permitting).
Here is the upcoming schedule of what we will be doing on-site preceding the performance:
Run-through with the full cast: Sat, Nov 26th, 6pm
Dry run: Sat, Dec 3rd, 5.30pm
Performance: 7pm
Attendance is free.

Here is a video showing one of the try-out sessions at the Remembering zone of ||| Movement:

Call for Dancers

2011-11-17T09:38:00.001-08:00

Do you enjoy slow/social/couple dancing?

Would you like to participate in a site-specific performance at Stamford Green on Dec 3rd?

Team Aural (atelier | small, Tang Ling-Nah & Zai Tang) who created ||| Movement (pls see www.lllmovement.blogspot.com) at Stamford Green, is inviting interested individuals or couples to participate in a group slow/social/couple dance as part of a larger performance. ||| Movement is a public art installation located at the previous site of the Old National Library, where there now is a quiet clearing that is suitable for an intimate dance.

Interested individuals or couples have to be available on most of these dates:

Introductory session: Sat, Nov 19th, 6pm
Run-through with the full cast: Sat, Nov 26th, 6pm
Dry run: Sat, Dec 3rd, 5.30pm
Performance: 7pm

If you are interested in participating, please contact Faye Lim at FMINLIM[at]GMAIL.COM, or Ling Nah at ACTIVATEDCSTUDIO[at]GMAIL.COM. THANKS!!

A Synopsis of ||| Movement (Shuffle)

2011-11-17T09:31:00.001-08:00

What impression will ||| Movement leave behind for its hostsite? What if ||| Movement decides to stayindefinitely? Will it outstay its welcome? While it’s still here, how does ||| Movement want to dance with its surroundingsite―with its curves, itsemotions, its (missed) opportunities? For lack of imagination, ||| Movement takesits host site by the hand, and then by the waist, and gives it a twirl for oldtimes’ sake!

||| Movement (Shuffle), conceived as the second part of ||| Movement, imagines thisdance through the ||| Movement installation andsoundscape’s zones for remembering, contemplating and transforming―all this against the fragmentationof past relics, the romantic backdrop of Fort Canning Park and the youthfulaspirations of the neighbouring collegiate.

||| Movement (Shuffle) begins withcouples of various pairings enjoying recognisable slow dance steps and anemerging pattern of twirls and spirals. The image of a ballroom is conjuredfrom this transitory space between the Singapore that never sleeps and theSingapore that sits still. Perhaps in arocking embrace, the non-stop movement and the stillness can co-exist. Viewersand passers-by are invited to join in this embrace with two-left feet,two-right feet, and everything in between.

Abruptly, spritely and sticky young individuals takeinterest in the space and the highs and lows of its installations. Theindividuals coalesce into a blob for added support and travel through the space― curving around, going under andclimbing over anything/one that is in their way. When the journey is easy, theydo a fast and playful dance. They can only manage a slow dance when the journeyis tough. There is no end to their travels. Someone needs to tell them to stop!Though, occasionally, they find themselves in a tight, forgotten corner at theself-help section, and someone steals a kiss.

What does the host site think or feel about all this? Doesit need some time to respond? Would it help if there were a rest in themovement at this very moment; a pause for breath? Perhaps everyone―blob, dancing couples, viewers―lost their ability to moveanything but their expressive diaphragms. At this point, soft cricket soundsescape from behind clenched teeth and fill the space. Somehow, the cricketsounds make contemplating that much easier.

The Contemplating Seat

2011-10-19T00:43:00.000-07:00

The Transforming Wall

2011-10-18T09:20:00.000-07:00

The Remembering Walls

2011-10-17T11:26:00.000-07:00

Various Scenes (Overview)

2011-10-16T23:54:00.000-07:00

Welcome!

2011-10-13T01:00:00.000-07:00

This blog has been set up by atelier | small, Tang Ling Nah and Zai Tang, as an online platform documenting the development of our collaborative public art installation, titled ||| Movement. Our work will be shown from 14th October – 4th November as part of Hub-to-Hub and Archifest 2011.

The chosen site for our work is the transitory space between the National Museum of Singapore and escalators leading to Stamford Green and Fort Canning, where the old National Library once stood.

The work itself is a site‐specific installation exploring the cycle of construction, deconstruction and renewal within the city. It comprises three zones―remembering, contemplating and transforming―reminiscent of three movements in a single musical composition. Sound recordings from the urban environment are transformed and fused with architectural elements made from construction waste to create a distinct aural‐spatial experience. The work encourages the public to slow down, stop and contemplate on the perpetual cycle of urban transformation through the act of listening.

Thank you

2011-10-13T00:58:00.000-07:00

We'd like to extend our gratitude to the following people, who helped make our installation possible.

Contractors / Supporters

1. Everise Awnings & Iron Works - steel works & construction works
2. J & C Services - cabling works
3. Hong Gam Industries Pte Ltd - supply of reclaimed timber strips
4. Uncle Moh Interior Design & Renovation - supply of salvaged plywood strips
5. Hoong Thye Furniture & Renovations Pte Ltd - supply of plywood boards

Sponsorship

Acclaim Lighting
ATLAS Experience: http://www.atlas-sv.com/

Documentation

Olivia Kwok (for photo-documentation of setting up): www.jooksh.com

Tang Ling Nah (for photo-documentation of final work): www.activatedcstudio.blogspot.com

Sherman See-Tho & Wong Liyun (for photo-documentation of performance of ||| Movement (Shuffle):
www.mr-seetho.blogspot.com

Benjamin Low (for video-documentation of Shuffle's rehearsal 26 Nov 2011)

Mentorship / General Awesomeness

Xinyan Wu
Yunn Ee Chee

http://www.unbox.com.sg/

Willie Koh
Selwyn Low

Work-in-Progress 8 Oct 2011: The Steel Structures were moved to Stamford Green Site

2011-10-13T00:57:00.000-07:00

Soundscape: Background

2011-10-13T00:56:00.000-07:00

Like our original proposal for Plaza by the Park, we all felt it was crucial to retain a site-specific response within our proposal for the new space we acquired. The seeds of our new concept began to germinate when we considered the history of the site; this transitory space was where the Old National Library Building once stood. Much lamenting and heart-felt criticism has been expressed since its demolition in March 2004, so we felt we didn't want to dwell on the past too much and repeat what others have (rightly) said previously.

image from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Old_National_Library-Singapore.jpg

Instead we began to conceive of the Old NLB's demise as a starting point to reflect upon the endless cycle of transformation within the city; this national icon's unfortunate end being a single chapter within a book about Singapore's development, as it spirals further into urbanity. As well as highlighting the theme of disappearance of local heritage, we wanted to tell other stories surrounding urbanisation too; the gradual decline of nature within the city, the loss of clarity within the urban soundscape, and the wider need to find sustainable approaches to our modern way of living.

Our team wanted to create an aural space for the audience to experience these themes, so we decided to create three zones within the final work - remembering, contemplating and transforming - which link together with notions of past, present and future respectively.

Soundscape: Remembering

2011-10-13T00:54:00.000-07:00

Imagine

My aim was to create the impression of exploring an imaginary library with one's ears, as the listener sits between the shelf-like structures within this zone. The composition weaves its way through a series of recordings made at different libraries across Singapore, guiding the listener through the unique aural qualities and ambiances of places typically defined by their quietness or 'silence'. The listener moves through these libraries searching for different books: The books open, the pages turn and the listener's ears are momentarily plunged into imaginary sound worlds - some natural and contemplative, others mechanised and abrasive.

Use of Silence

The entire composition runs at 1 hour 27 mins, 3 cycles of 29 minutes. Each cycle of 29 minutes is identical barring one aspect; each is interspersed with silence at different points, determined by chance (more on this later). There are 5 durations of silence within each cycle (60, 30, 15, 10 and 5 seconds), totaling 2 minutes:

The use of silence is a key aspect to the form of the sound composition in all of the zones. In this zone, the total duration of silence refers to the notion of observing two minutes of silence out of respect for the Old National Library Building.

Another reason I chose to use silence is to encourage the audience to listen to the real soundscape that surrounds them and wake up to how hearing plays an extremely important role in how we perceive and interpret our environment. Before each segment of silence the listener hears a short, sharp "sshhh!" (as indicated in the visual score above), which marks the sudden shift in their aural focus from the composed to the real.

There is perhaps an interesting parallel between the use of silence and the fact that our team were asked to remove any reference to the Old NLB within the official write up for our work, so as not to upset certain people. Luckily, this isn't the official write up, so I feel obliged to tell you the truth. Isn't it apt that our site-specific proposal provoked a site-specific form of censorship!? The rather forceful sounding "sshhh!" assumes a different kind of relevance from this angle.

Memory Loss

When economic imperatives shape our concept of what it means for a city to grow, the delicate balance between place and memory is often put into jeopardy. The zeitgeist of expediency takes primacy over the preservation of so-called 'intangible' aspects of the cities we live in; places of social, cultural and historical importance are prone to vanishing, left to fade away in the uncertainty of memory.

If we conceive of the built environment as being an extension of our collective conscious, then this self-induced amnesia threatens to sever our sense of identity through the removal of our shared heritage.

I do believe each generation should look towards its future and embrace change where necessary, but not through the erasure of our collective memories, which are intrinsically tied to place. In expressing the on-going cycle of transformation, ||| Movement attempts to re-connect these severed links within Singapore's urban psyche. It seeks to find a balance between past, present and future, a moment of equilibrium between nature, modernity and history.

Library Soundwalks

2011-10-13T00:52:00.000-07:00

Here are a few raw audio recording of some of my library soundwalks:

Remembering by ZaiTang

The libraries which I have visited in Singapore exist in stark contrast to the bustling urban soundscape outside. Their well implemented sound insulation, combined with the veil of communal quietness, creates a distinctive listening experience defined by clarity. Every miniscule sound can be heard; scribbling pens, flickering books, children's happy feet.

Next time you find yourself in a library, focus on your listening and ask yourself what you can hear. If you close your eyes, do you hear things differently? Continue to listen intently when you leave the library and return outside (you might want to open your eyes before you do). How do the two sound environments compare?

Environments of such aural clarity are rare within cities. We should aspire towards creating more spaces like this.

Soundscape: Transforming

2011-10-13T00:50:00.000-07:00

Mutant Urbanism

The piece within this zone reflects the dominant elements of Singapore's urban soundscape. It is comprised of a series of short compositions derived from various recordings of construction site machinery, transport / vehicles, and other typically urban sounds in Singapore.

The forms of the sounds in these compositions exist in a constant state of morphology - twisting and mutating towards an uncertain future. There is a variance from slight manipulation to severe alterations of the source material through digital editing techniques, sampling, and effects processing:

Transforming by ZaiTang

Even for the ‘severe' compositions, there is still some trace of the source of the sound, as to not obscure the potential meanings intended.

The overtly digital and unsubtle transformations of sounds within this zone perhaps mirror the fact that the impact of something like construction on the soundscape is very obvious. Also, the resulting timbre of such audio manipulation techniques are intrinsically tied to the digital; the framework that are lives are currently absorbed in. Through characterising the sounds in this way, they perhaps embody a sense of our increasing immersion within the digital technologies as we move towards the future.

Soundscape: Contemplating

2011-10-13T00:48:00.000-07:00

Moments

I conceived of this zone as a platform for the sounds that often get drowned out, or even disappear, as a result of increasing urbanisation - the sounds of nature. I used a selection of recordings of different elements of Singapore's natural environments to encourage a moment of stillness within the listener: An internal space where they can contemplate their relationship to such sounds and reflect upon the lack of balance between natural sounds and man-made sounds within the urban environment.

Contemplating by ZaiTang

I treated my sound material delicately once selected, as means of preserving the creatures / elements for which they represent and showing them respect. I applied minimal amounts of alteration to the recordings, simply shaping frequency content to gently shift the perspective of what is present within the recording.

Soundscape: Balance

2011-10-13T00:46:00.000-07:00

Silent Chances

Singapore's soundscape, like most cities, is characterised by its high density; multiple layers of sound compete with one another to be heard by the listener as they pass through public spaces.

In thinking about my approach to the compositions I asked myself this: In such a dense and intense sound environment would it be appropriate to introduce a continuous stream of new sounds?

No: A better approach would be to utilise silence within the work, allowing space for the listener to experience the real soundscape that surrounds them. Between the Transforming and Contemplating zones, there is as much silence as there is composed audio:

In the above images, the gaps between waveforms denote a period of silence.

Many of the transitions between the short compositions and silence happen gradually, which will hopefully have the aural effect of an incremental slippage from the illusory to the real. The periods of silence were determined through simple chance operations using Max MSP:

Indeed, it is the real soundscape that I think we should wake up to. Hopefully the methods applied in this work will help stimulate the audience in to active listening to the acoustic environment.

Workshop

2011-10-11T10:10:00.000-07:00

Introduction: Acoutic Ecology

2011-10-10T00:00:00.000-07:00

One of the main influences of our work is Acoustic Ecology, defined by R M Schafer as:

…the study of the effects of the acoustic environment or SOUNDSCAPE on the physical responses or behavioural characteristics of creatures living within it. Its particular aim is to draw attention to imbalances which may have unhealthy or inimical effects.

Positive Soundscapes from wimrc on Vimeo.

If you're interested in Singapore's acoustic environment, you may like to take a closer look at the project I embarked upon last year, Sacred Soundscapes; an immersive audio-visual installation exploring the significance of sacred sounds in the context of Singapore’s contemporary soundscape:

http://sacredsoundscapes.wordpress.com/

References

Schafer, R. M. (1977) The Soundscape: Our Sonic Environment & the Tuning of the World, Vermont: Destiny Books

Changes

2011-10-08T07:24:00.000-07:00

The title of our installation is III Movement ―where movement can imply both the physical and the aural movements in a compositional piece. The ‘III’ has an abstract reference to book shelves that is incorporated into the design of the art installation at the site where the (former) National Library of Singapore was situated.

The materials for this installation comprise salvaged construction "waste" procured from nearby construction sites that reflects our considerations for conservation of material resources as an appropriate and sustainable design strategy in response to the temporal course of the installation. These materials are then crafted into a volumetric and visual rhythmic composition, while performing synchronously as a receptacle of sounds for the audience to the chosen site, Bras Basah.Bugis and beyond. This integrative treatment of the visual, aural and architectonic materiality therefore highlights the physical articulation of our collaborative proposal for this public art installation as an urban intervention.

One interesting point to bring up was the irony of the changes of the site of our initial proposal at Plaza By The Park. The Plaza By The Park (PBP) site is an interesting plot of land sandwiched between the PBP Carpark and Kopitiam, a food court. We are very much intrigued by this overlooked/leftover/disregarded space. We learnt that it was owned by an old lady who refused to sell the land. It remained untouched (only covered with gravels) for years until LTA takes over it for the current MRT construction. In fact, many changes have taken place in that area since we submitted our initial proposal. One of the most obvious changes is the removal of almost all the trees along Bencoolen Street on the side of the PBP site to make way for the construction.

We chose the PBP site because we thought it was the best site to discuss our concerns about the lack of balance between human-made sounds and that of nature in the city's soundscape. It would have also provided a possibility as to how such a public space can be activated. We think it could become a sanctuary for people to contemplate on these issues through active listening of sounds in the Bras Basah.Bugis area, and thus titled it The Aural Sanctuary.

The idea of using construction wastes was actually inspired by the Plaza by The Park site. The gravels covering the ground of the site would have become the ‘ready’ material for the construction of our sanctuary’s walls. We intended to return it back to the site after the exhibition is over.

Therefore, it came as a shock that we had to abandon the site, almost immediately after we learnt that our proposal was selected by the Hub- to-Hub curators. When it became clear that we definitely could not use the site for our installation (in fact, a few of the sites listed for proposal could not be used later because of urban development - one other good example is the site opposite Selegie Centre), we embarked on a search for a new site around the Bras Basah.Bugis area. We found quite a few disregarded/unused/overlooked sites in the area during our walking trips. It was a great city study on foot, and we must say the experience was enriching and an eye-opener. It took us about 4 weeks to settle on our current site. And because the site has changed, the context of our proposal has to change a little. The current site is now a transitory space. It is already a sanctuary with flora and fauna. Thus, the sanctuary idea has to be dropped. However, the part about environmental sustainability and the reuse of construction waste remains.

Map

2011-10-08T06:54:00.000-07:00

Our installation, ||| Movement, can be found next to the National Museum of Singapore, by the escalators that lead to Stamford Green.

Team Aural Biography

2011-09-28T06:30:00.000-07:00

Team Aural was unofficially formed when atelier | small, Tang Ling Nah and Zai Tang met together for the first time at the National Library’s Hanis Café and Bakery on 9 June 2011 to discuss the Hub-to-Hub project. The members work on the common concerns of enriching the experience of place, and encouraging the public to slow down, stop and contemplate on the perpetual cycle of urban transformation.

Individually, the member atelier | small is an architecture collective formed by three National University of Singapore architecture undergraduates (Quek Li-en, Tan Yong Shen and Wu Huei Siang). Their contemplation of space, materials, details and sustainability is reflected in their design approach in which simple and thoughtful ideas are conceived in pursuance of enrichment of the environment. Tang Ling Nah, on the other hand, is a Singapore-based visual artist who is fascinated with the city’s transitory spaces. Her work seeks to reflect and address the conditions of the modern city, particularly its speed and the lack of interpersonal intimacy in urban life. Zai Tang is a sound artist whose projects focus on the evolving relationship between sound and space, in both real and imagined environments. He regards his work as a means of engaging the mind’s eye of the audience through the act of listening.

atelier | small: ateliersmall@gmail.com
Tang Ling Nah: http://activatedcstudio.blogspot.com/
Zai Tang: http://www.zaitang.com/

Site Study: Day & Night

2011-08-10T10:38:00.000-07:00

Site Study: NMS soundscape

2011-08-01T23:26:00.000-07:00

National Museum Site Walk, Singapore - excerpt (Aug 2011) by ZaiTang

This is one of a number of recordings I will make around the site. This was recorded at approximately 2pm on Monday 1st August 2011.

Hub to Hub Singapore 2011 Competition Entry

2011-07-30T20:12:00.000-07:00

These are the 3 panels for Aural Sanctuary, our original proposal for Plaza by the Park.

Jury Citations

"The installation has a good concept, good use of materials and site responsive. It is site-specific, utilising an over-looked disregarded space. The idea of a quite room for reflection in the middle of a buzzing city is good."

http://hubtohub.sg/exhibition.html