Page 168 - AC-3-3

Arts & Communication Push the ENVELOPE

live processing sounds from a microphone, and built Some participants experienced difficulties in adapting
rhythmic patterns. to a new practice that may involve a steep learning curve,
In Lau’s workshop, he continued the discussion on especially for technical aspects such as programming or
sound art by providing an in-depth historical background sound editing. As a result, some participants had to seek
of modern art. Taking Luigi Russolo’s 1913 manifesto, Art individual sessions outside of the activity hours, causing
of Noises, as a point of departure, Lau drew drew attention extra workload for the Artist Teachers. During the
17
to concepts from contemporary music and art, via John preparation for the Performance Marathon, we had noticed
Cage’s The Future of Music: Credo, Kurt Schwitters’ that participants who decided to create installations or
18
19
Ursonate, to establish links between sound poems, group performances (three performers or more) are mostly
graphic notations, Dadaism, and Fluxus. due to the anticipated performance anxiety. Hence, we
realized the need for stimulating performance practices,
Some activities were conducted outside the classrooms as performance anxiety issues and coping strategies are
on day 4 to provide breathing space amidst the intensive not fully addressed in the Camps. These observations and
learning schedule. The day began with a morning hike to feedback let us continue to make improvements to the
conduct field recording activities in the park next to the pedagogy, such as to adjust the pacing of workshop content
campsite, and ended with an outdoor barbeque dinner with to fit the participants better.
the attendance of local art practitioners interested in meeting
and providing guidance to the participants. Two sessions 6. Year 2 and beyond
were organized as “Guest Sharings” to provide an overview
of possible directions to explore on the camp activities. We In 2024, the second phase of the Push the ENVELOPE
did a brief introduction outlining future activities of the Lab project includes Pre-camp activities, a Camp, and a Teacher
program, that is, scheduled for the summer of 2024. Retreat. The outputs are disseminated in two Public
Showcases, including “Soundthing Lab 1: Soundthing
The participants were encouraged to form groups and Uncertain” led by Adam Neutron and Cheuk Wing Nam,
ensembles to do performances, or create installations. and “Soundthing Lab 2: Moving Soundthing” led by Fiona
These may not have been a complete work of art, yet served Lee and Kenny Wong. These showcases constitute the
to demonstrate the intention to explore ideas introduced to advanced level program for participants who attended the
the participants during the Pre-course and the Camp. All camp in 2023 and are also open for the public to enroll
the works were showcased internally at the Performance in. Lab 1 explores the concept of “turning the intangible to
Marathon. In the process of developing their ideas, the tangible,” and vice versa, through instrument building and
artist-teachers Lam, Lau, and Yeung went around the room hacking. Lab 2 explores “interactivity with sound objects”
to provide assistance and guidance to the participants and through the incorporation of kinetic applications.
to understand their technical needs. The room was split
into two sides, which allowed one group to be setting up To conclude, Push the ENVELOPE aims to provide
while the other group was performing. The fluidity in accessibility to sound resources and cultivate interest in
alternating the performance space also helped alleviate any sound-making through sound object building, an approach
performance anxiety. resonating with the context of Ubimus, “ubiquitous systems
of human agents and material resources that afford musical
5. Execution and feedback activities through creativity support tools.” Based on a
7
survey on the digital tools used in music education executed
The schedule was executed as planned in both of the in Norway in 2015, Rudi discussed the need to provide
Camps. However, the participants in both Camps found more knowledge and guidance for music technology as it is
the schedule overwhelming without enough breaks in desirable in education. A similar need is evident in Hong
20
between the activities. Some participants wished to have Kong, where the Music – Curriculum Support Resources page
more personal time and space during the Camp, especially on the Education Bureau of the Hong Kong SAR government
those who were interested in building and hacking
instruments. Hence, some of the participants had trouble website currently contains no materials related to music
completing the sound sketch exercises. Most participants technology, contemporary music nor relevant artistic
21
found themselves more comfortable in an environment practice. This absence may reflect the limited local research
that supports experimenting and exploring new artistic on sound pedagogy, and a lingering emphasis on balancing
practices, rather than in an academic environment. Many Western and non-Western music traditions, a framework
largely shaped by the British colonial educational system.
participants developed a mentor-mentee relationship with
the artists during the Camp, which has continued to have The challenges facing the current music and art
an impact on their work afterward. education systems became increasingly apparent after the

Volume 3 Issue 3 (2025) 7 doi: 10.36922/ac.6236