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Arts & Communication

ARTICLE
Push the ENVELOPE: A program to develop

creative engagement between emerging artists
and audiences in Hong Kong

Karen Yu * and PerMagnus Lindborg *
1
2
1 Contemporary Musiking Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
2 SoundLab, School of Creative Media, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
(This article belongs to the Special Issue: Ubimus Cross-Cultural Approaches to Interaction and
Creativity)

Abstract
Push The ENVELOPE Sound Art Initiative is a 2-year program curated by
Contemporary Musiking Hong Kong and designed by a team of professional
sound artists, instrument designers, experimental musicians, and composers to
introduce sound as a medium for creation and collaboration. This paper describes
the background to and impetus of the initiative; gives an outline of activities;
and discusses objectives and methods for engaging deeper contacts between
audiences and artists in Hong Kong.
*Corresponding authors:
Karen Yu
(karen.yu.x@gmail.com)
PerMagnus Lindborg Keywords: Sonic art; Instrument designing; Sound art pedagogy; DIY electronics;
(pm.lindborg@cityu.edu.hk) Hong Kong
Citation: Yu K, Lindborg P. Push
the ENVELOPE: A program to
develop creative engagement
between emerging artists and 1. Background
audiences in Hong Kong. Arts &
Communication. 2025;3(3):6236. Since its foundation in 2007 by Samson Young, Contemporary Musiking Hong Kong
doi: 10.36922/ac.6236
(CMHK, https://cmhk.org/) has been devoted to the promotion, presentation, and
Received: November 18, 2024 advocacy of cross-disciplinary practices in sound. The scope of the various programs
Revised: April 29, 2025 in CMHK includes performance series, festivals, exchange residencies, and educational
activities, jointly presented in collaboration with partners such as Eaton Hotel, Hong
Accepted: April 29, 2025
Kong Arts Center, iii (instrument inventor initiative, at The Hague in the Netherlands),
Published online: May 21, 2025 Tai Kwun Contemporary, and Freespace of the West Kowloon Cultural District. The
Copyright: © 2025 Author(s). artists presented in these programs are local and international artists whose practices
This is an Open-Access article revolve around the sonic arts and cross-disciplinary approaches.
distributed under the terms
of the Creative Commons A snapshot of the recent developments of sonic art in Hong Kong was given in
AttributionNoncommercial License, Charting the Scene(s) of Sonic Arts in Hong Kong. Based on extensive interviews with
1
permitting all non-commercial use,
distribution, and reproduction in any local practitioners, the authors refer to “the term sonic art [to] describe[s] a broader
medium, provided the original work range of artistic practices involving sound,” and “in the case of Hong Kong, it is used
is properly cited. not only as a synonym for electroacoustic music but also includes live electronics,
1
Publisher’s Note: AccScience soundscape composition, noise, and sound in contemporary art.” The openness in
Publishing remains neutral with this understanding of sonic art is shared by CMHK, whose stated mission is to present
regard to jurisdictional claims in
published maps and institutional artists of any background and experience who are interested in exploring and adopting
affiliations. sonic elements in their artistic practice. In an interview, Young described these artists

Volume 3 Issue 3 (2025) 1 doi: 10.36922/ac.6236