Instructor: Wan-Chien Cheng
Workshop Title: Free Improvisation with Objects
Workshop Subtitle: Listening to Others and Oneself through Object Improvisation
Date: September 1 (Sunday)
Time: 13:30 – 16:00
Location: Taitung Museum, Small Cultural Creative Classroom
Objects and people can form connections. This workshop invites participants to bring several everyday objects that produce sound (e.g., pots and pans, small toys, keychains, boxes of different materials, etc.). Participants will take turns listening to the sounds of these objects and the stories behind them, exploring various sounds they can produce. Improvisation is a crucial process in “listening to the present.” By creating sounds with everyday objects, participants will make choices and collaborate with others to experience a variety of sound combinations in the moment.
A native of Pingtung living in Taipei, Cheng Wan-Chien holds a Master’s degree in Sound Arts from the University of the Arts London. Having studied classical music from a young age, Cheng became fascinated with the ephemeral nature of sound and began researching various phenomena related to “listening.” Specializing in combining field recordings, object sound installations, and electronic synthesis, Cheng aims to change listeners’ perceptions of sound. Recently focused on improvisational performance and sound creation, Cheng has been invited to perform at events such as the London Contemporary Music Festival’s Many Private Concert, Whitechapel Gallery’s Music for Museums, and White Cube Gallery’s Christian Marclay Solo Exhibition. Cheng’s sound work often revolves around themes of elder populations, social events, cultural observation, memory, and sound perception. Recent exhibitions include “2024 Mining Art Season—Embodied Listening,” “2022 Taiwan Biennale—Drum Sounds in the Ears” (2021, National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts), “Distance in the Time of Epidemics” (2021, Taipei Contemporary Art Museum), and as a resident artist at the “2021 Taitung Museum Sound Art Festival—Echo Memory.” Cheng is currently the project leader and sound artist for Listening to Old Souls.
Meeting Time: 13:15 (Entry opens)
Meeting Point: Outside the Small Cultural Creative Classroom, Taitung Museum
Activity Location: Small Cultural Creative Classroom, Taitung Museum
Course Plan:
13:30 – 14:10: Warm-up, sound exploration, and bodily sounds
14:10 – 14:40: Introduction to sound improvisation and sample appreciation
14:40 – 15:20: Listening to objects and improvisation practice
15:20 – 15:50: Group presentations and ensemble
15:50 – 16:00: Conclusion
Participants should bring three objects that produce sound.
Recommended for ages 6 and up.
Participant limit: 15 people or fewer.