The sound installation, entitled “Hồi Sóng”, by composers and experimental sound artists Nguyen Nhung and Zach Sch is on display at Manzi Exhibition Space, Lane 2, Hang Bun Street in Hanoi, until April 7.
The art project “Hồi Sóng,” comprises an archival study and sound installation by Vietnamese artists, Nhung Nguyễn and Zach Sch, and is available both digitally at https://hoisong.art/en/ and physically at Manzi Exhibition Space free of charge.
| The poster of the event. |
Expanding on the initial concept of exploring cultural heritage through oral history, the artists employ a sound installation to examine the relationship between archived information and sound as an art form.
The project initially focused on the experiences of soldiers and workers from French colonies in Africa and Vietnam, but has since expanded to include historical accounts of Egypt, Algeria, Mali, Martinique and Indochina (composed of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia) and their wartime experiences, living conditions, and memories, revisiting these events 80 years after the end of World War II.
Accordingly, the installation aims to juxtapose archival materials on the aforementioned topics with music and sound design. The artists consider the respective socio-cultural contexts of the archives and their accompanying literary and musical materials when constructing the recordings. While Nhung focuses on oral histories, Zach places more emphasis on sound experiments.
| Manzi Exhibition Space in Hanoi. Photo: Manzi |
Presented at Manzi as a physical counterpart to the online platform (the first installation was launched at San Art, HCMC in 2021), the exhibition offers a refreshed perspective on the archive, inviting audiences to engage with the sounds, immerse themselves in the radio installation, and interact with relics of a dimly remembered past.
Nhung Nguyen is an emerging Vietnamese sound artist based in Hanoi, whose work encompasses a range of experimental aesthetics and expressions, including ambient drone, electro-acoustic, noise music, and musique concrete. Since 2014 Nhung has been creating works under the moniker Sound Awakener – and under her real name, for the more cinematic, piano-driven projects. She has collaborated with international labels such as Time Released Sound (US), Unknown Tones Records (US), and others.
| Vietnamese sound artist Nhung Nguyen. Photo: Đan |
Zach Sch is a sound artist, composer, and member of the Ho Chi Minh City-based collective Rắn Cạp Đuôi. His current practice seeks points of dialogue between composition and the visceral, textural capacity of sound. This includes the physicality of sound as an environmental medium and the exploration of new dynamics in compositional structure and sound design.
The art project “Hồi Sóng” is supported by the Goethe-Institut Ho Chi Minh City, the Japan Foundation Center for Cultural Exchange in Vietnam, the Nguyen Thien Dao Foundation, “Sàn” Art and the Humboldt University of Berlin.
