LEARNING CURVES/
Shing Mun River, Hong Kong
Sound Topography around Shing Mun River
After two months of residence, Alessandro presents the research materials in a public presentation. The artist chooses the Shatin Rural Committee, the place where the representatives of the indigenous residents of villages discuss the welfare of Shatin. For the artist, this space becomes the ideal place to meet, discuss and show his research path. The space is located around a square nearby Shatin Mtr Station.
During the event, Alessandro presents the installation “Sound Topography around Shing Mun River”. It is a recount of a travelogue conducted in different locations around Shing Mun River. Alessandro explored the areas of Tai Wai, Tai Po, Pai Tau Village, Siu Lek Yeun Village, Fo Tan and Sam Mun Tsai village with the practice of soundwalks that involves listening and recording while moving through a place at a walking pace. While recording, Alessandro wrote a diary concerning with the relationship between his perception and the surrounding sonic environment. The installation, composed by six audio players with headphone and six chairs, is located outdoor around a square nearby Shatin Mtr Station. Local people, visitor, passing by people, in response of it becomes a listener of the space that incorporates alessandro perception and experience around Shing Mun River.
During the residence, Alessandro Carboni met Mr. Choy Hon Sum, an elderly Tai Wai villager. After several meetings, interviews on the history of Shing Alessandro Carboni proposed to Mr. Choy to present, during the event, their dialogue in a performative format. The performance is a duet based on the different perception of a map of the territory Shatin. Alessandro recounts his experience and perception collected during his exploration around urban area, villages, estates, paths, people and parks. Mr. Choy tells the evolution, the geography of Shing Mun River the through the history of his village. Mr. Choy’s descriptions are enriched with anecdotes, legends and stories. Alessandro and Mr. Choy, share in the same table, a map which becomes a metaphore of a new territory, a place for a new interpretation of objective and subjective representation of space.
As part of the installation, Alessandro presents a series of aerial photography from 1963 collected from the Lands Department. For each of them, Alessandro creates drawings with the aim to explore his perception in connection within objective mapping as photography and subjective mapping as drawing.
