As the River Flows
by Chong Li-Chuan (sound) and Casey Chen (light) Part of Light to Night 2022 * at Asian Civilisations Museum (ACM) 14 January 2022 - 3 February 2022
Installation view of "As the River Flows". (Photo credit: Chong Li-Chuan)
Installation view of "As the River Flows". Sound artist Chong Li-Chuan (left), multidisciplinary artist Casey Chen (right) (Photo credit: Jess Chen)
Artists' statement
The soundscape of a river, in an ecological sense, is constantly changing. It shifts according to the time of day, the season (for example, monsoon), the prevailing weather, and other natural elements. It is a spatial and temporal mix of sounds from inhabitants along the riverbanks, activities on the river itself (or lack thereof), and the flora and fauna coexisting in the environment.
What does a soundscape composition of the river express and represent to you?
How does one navigate the past, present, and future, extending from the river, through sound and light? Whose voices will we hear? Whose faces and shadows will we see? And what stories will they tell?
If you dive into the Oral History Interviews at the National Archives of Singapore, you might find out about the powers that shaped and transformed the waterways of this island city-state since independence.
The pre-colonial soundscape would have been bustling with life, as we are informed by Singapore archaeology. Visit the ACM's Singapore Archaeology Gallery to learn more from the artefacts unearthed in the vicinity of Empress Place. What sounds would Stamford Raffles have heard when he landed in Singapore?
And what of the recent past? What soundmarks (a term used in soundscape studies derived from "landmark") prevailed since colonial times? Consider the chimes from the bells in the clock tower of the Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall, sounding out every quarter of an hour and reflecting off the buildings nearby. Is it part of collective memory, then and now, of what is demarcated as Singapore’s Civic District?
The present-day soundscape signifies self-determination of sorts: the transformations of the Singapore River, waltzing or perhaps marching through time to a tune... Whose tune? What sounds were heard? What sounds were lost? Who cares to listen?
A lighting note...
A ubiquitous object used at the excavation sites – the colander – inspired the light design of this As the River Flows installation. Seen in numerous pictures of digs, it is the humble companion of archaeologists, used to carry and sort out the various things they find. By a stroke of Casey Chen's genius, what was once a tool with a practical purpose is now an object of beauty and contemplation.
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* About Light to Night 2022 — As part of Light to Night 2022, ACM presents New Waves. Explore the Singapore River and its stories known and imagined, through layers of context, conversations, and reflections.
Read more: https://www.nhb.gov.sg/acm/whats-on/festivals/light-to-night-2022
Installation view of "As the River Flows". Audience on 22 January 2022. (Photo credit: Chong Li-Chuan)
Installation view of "As the River Flows". Audience on 22 January 2022. (Photo credit: Chong Li-Chuan)
Installation view of "As the River Flows". Audience on 22 January 2022. (Photo credit: Chong Li-Chuan)
Installation view of "As the River Flows". Audience on 22 January 2022. Sound artist Chong Li-Chuan (foreground) activating the soundscape composition played back on 15 boomboxes. (Photo courtesy of Asian Civilisations Museum)
Field recording for "As the River Flows" at various locations in the vicinity of the Asian Civilisations Museum, Singapore. (Photo credit: Chong Li-Chuan)
