Hello everyone! In this episode we would be with soundpocket. It is a close listening session to the sounds of our daily life, to journeys home, and to the city of Hong Kong. A house-warming dialogue between Michael and soundpocket: Yang Yeung, Mandy Chan, and Vanessa Lai.

In this special conversation episode, we will start with “Simple Interactions”, an artist residency and community outreach programme that soundpocket and Hong Kong artists Andio Lai and Tsang Hoi-yu collaborated in 41 Ross, San Francisco, that transposed the listening experiences of Hong Kong into Chinatown there. Where the simplest objects and hints could remind one of home, and of familiarity when one is outside, we would then jump to the perspective of places, how can we “scoop” sounds and place them in entirely different settings. Together we would explore the rich sound collecting resources of The Library by soundpocket, running for more than a decade since 2013, and discuss how an open platform could be, how activism could be silent but powerful. In the end, home can sound just like the little random talismans and heirlooms that make them, or something as simple as the special memories that project us forward.

This episode is also part of the Listening Biennial 2023. Open your ears, Enjoy!

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Sekundos is a working group based in Zürich that aims to recognize background identities in public spaces and to upkeep differences. We are spatial practitioners who are interested in how sonic media could provide recognition to the invisible and margins from listening to place, and it's the role of sonic media in inheriting unarchivable narratives and resistances. The name Sekundos means second-generation migrants.

Michael Hoi Ming Du (he/him/his) currently studies MSc Architecture at ETH, he is one who wanders in the intersection of sound, text, and construction. An Initiator of Communities such as Sekundos and Unmasking Space. In recent years Michael has been interested in how social gatherings, sonic memories, and improvisational performances influence architecture and spatiality.

soundpocket is a registered charity founded in 2008. It promotes the art of sound and listening and its research and education in Hong Kong. The Library by soundpocket is a website of sounds that tell stories about Hong Kong culture and society. It aims at creating a community of active listeners who are curious about listening as a way of knowing ourselves and each other. It also aims at contributing to our public culture of listening.

/ Recordings from The Library by soundpocket

[04:26] Two dollars each 全場兩蚊 – Susi Law 羅偉珊

[12:16] Chestnut 炒栗子 – Yan Chan

[14:48] Again, two dollars each 全部都係兩蚊都係兩蚊 – Susi Law 羅偉珊

[18:35] Wei, Seaweed cuttlefish- ball noodle 喂！紫墨河 – Choi Tsui-Yin 蔡翠茵

[40:22] The artificial frog and bird 假的青蛙，假的小鳥 – Wong Chun-hoi 王鎮海

[44:16] Hung Shui Kiu “Sheep” 洪水橋《羊》– PEACE

[44:48] Steam from the cooker 飯煲水氣 – Wong Fuk-kuen 黃福權

[45:46] Abacus 算盤 – Yan Chan

[51:56] Air conditioner 冷氣 -- Michael Hoi Ming Du 杜海銘

06 What's my Name - Expressing Political and Cultural Legacy as Architecture Students

SekundoS - Morphologies of IdentitieSBy SekundosAug 24, 2023