Sound Like 20

(Esplanade – Theatre by the Bay, 2019)

Sound Like is a series sound work that consists of a series of wearable sound sculptures and interactive installation sculptures. Often constructed with everyday objects such as funnel and hand basin, It diverts sounds to the participants’ ears offering them a singular experience listening either closely to themselves or the surrounding environment. 

“There is a framework of interrogation and witty experimentation that undergirds the practice of Sai (aka Chen Sai Hua Kuan). Working across a range of mediums including sculpture, installation, performance and sound, his work reconfigures and transforms our everyday experiences of space and time. Sai harnesses the potentialities of sound as an artistic medium in his practice. His art invites us to consider and question the contexts our everyday acts of listening and speaking operate in. This fascination with sound first started when he began using transmitter microphones to experiment with listening to sounds generated by his body. His engagement with this intangible and transient medium continued to evolve when he sought for ways to counter the intense, noise-filled soundscapes in cities. Through his work he created spaces where he could experience silence and listen to his own voice. The Sound Like series is premised on the proposition that art can allow for new ways of listening, speaking and interacting with people and our environments. The series includes wearable sound sculptures and interactive installations often constructed from common, everyday objects like funnels and hand basins. His work diverts sounds to viewers’ ears, offering them the experience of listening intently to themselves or their surrounds.” 

(by curator Lu Xiaohui, excerpt Visual Arts Hose Programme 2020)