SU Masterclass 48: Samson Young on Observing Space

Multicultural paradigms, weaved into a symphony of image and sound, are at the heart of Hong Kong artist and composer Samson Young’s practice. Through compositions, drawings, installations, radio broadcasts, and performances, Samson creates innovative cross-media experiences that touch upon the recurring topics of identity, war, and literature.

Emphasising a sense of play and intellectual witticism through the inclusion of unexpected sounds (ranging from the ring of Gameboys, fanfare rides, and Cantonese nursery rhymes) to references of great works of fiction, Samson builds peculiar scenarios that challenge one’s everyday associations with objects, stories, and spaces.

Samson’s Sounds Unheard masterclass series, “Observing Music”, asks us to consider listening as a multi-sensory experience. Over three episodes, we look at how observing our listening processes, the physical performances of musicians and the spaces in which performances take place can radically change our understanding and appreciation of sound.

In the third and final episode, “Observing Space”, Samson discusses the particular listening situations created in sound installation works. When audiences are free to roam, new relationships are formed between the work and the listener. Free to enter or exit the performance space, the audience become active participants who shape the timeline of the musical experience. In these circumstances, the performance becomes an invitation to listen.