Overview

The Invisible Sounds

In the immense solitude of the ocean, a whale called Alice was once thought to be the loneliest whale in the world. Not following the usual baleen whale migratory channels, Alice was found in the sea nearly half a world away from the usual pathway. While others of her kind communicate between 12 and 25Hz, Alice sings at 51.75Hz.

Insects chirp, birds cry, water flows, leaves fall, flowers bloom – everything in the world emits sound waves at its frequency, producing a variety of sounds that intertwine to form a ‘picture’ other than the visual. As a part of the ecological environment, human behavior also produces different sounds. Sound flows, surrounds, and fills the air, and when we close our eyes, we can still hear the many messages we capture to perceive our surroundings. Transmitted through a medium, sounds lie between objects and forms, so that it is born in the movement of everything and shuttles through the gaps of the world. It cannot be touched, it cannot be captured, but it is everywhere. It flows, it caresses, it fills the air, and when we close our eyes, we can still hear and capture a variety of information to perceive the environment around us.

Sounds, representing the complex contexts, intertwined with circumstance and reveals. Acting on the sensory nerves, sound becomes a paintbrush for memories, feelings and emotions. It is fed back into our brains instantaneously, simultaneously awakening our perceptions and imaginations, portraying spaces and scenes in our minds. Hearing sound is being involved in the backstory of it and then subjectively interpret the situation. To vocalise and listen is a process of creation. Co-organised by Planet P8 and Holon, this residency programme aims to discover these ‘invisible sounds’, to connect with the world through another sense, and to present the environment in a way that mobilises emotional arousal. We expect this programme for artists who use sound as an object and material for their artistic practice to communicate, give voice to the ground, to create, experiment and interact.

Programme Timeline

Application deadline: July 12
Notification on Results: July 17
Duration of residency: August 1 to September 10 (This includes actual residence time and exhibition preparation time)
Opening of the exhibition: 11 September
Duration of the exhibition: 12 September to 31 October

Considering the travel restrictions of epidemic and the particularity of sound media that can spread across distances, the program will be conducted remotely and physically. We will recruit 3-4 artists able to stay and work at PLAN8T, 3-4 artists living outside of China who will participate remotely. Artists who work in residence and remotely will be able to communicate and share throughout the residency cycle. Artworks created by artists during their stay will be exhibited in Museum of Waste from 12 September to 31 October.

Eligibility

• Sound is required to use as material or subject matter in the creation of art
• Strong artistic background and extensive independent art- create an experience
• No restriction on nationality
• Due to the special period of pandemic precautionary control, for the on-site residency we are only recruiting artists who have arrived in Changsha and finished their quarantine before the start of the residency period, we apologise for any inconvenience caused

Application materials

Please send the following documents by email to p8residency@joinp8.com with the subject line “2021SUMMER_P8AIR” and indicate in the body of the email whether you wish to participate on-site or remotely by the deadline:
1. Portfolio
***Please send a pdf file containing images and text of the artwork; if the work is recorded as video or audio, please put all online links in a pdf file or compress the files into a folder
2. Introduction to the artist and a description of the artwork (Artist CV, Portrait photo of the artist, A 500-word creative plan for the residency)