A sound funeral for the turtle dove
- Music
Christine Chen, originally from China, worked at an art museum before deciding to pursue the master's course The Sound of Innovation in Enschede. Being a music enthusiast her whole life, Christine has always had a natural interest in sound. This interest was reignited by the sound art works she encountered and curated during her time at the museum, which inspired her to apply for the Sound of Innovation master's course. “And I wondered: will my peculiar, unique voice find it’s place in Enschede, in a project-driven programme that embraced a wide range of musical possibilities?”
Finding her place
True to her hopes, she indeed found her place in the course, particularly through her involvement in various exploratory sound activities with her classmates. Christine (who also goes by her artist name Fractal): “Working with so many different people has been inspiring. Last year, I went on a sound walk with another student through different cities, carrying the sound installation we had designed and made together. This year, two classmates and I convinced the largest tenant of the Melkhal, a former dairy factory in Enschede from the pre-industrial era, to let us build a three-story sound installation inside the building. It was designed to seem like the audience was having a conversation with the architecture itself. We were very proud of how it turned out!” This installation, called Melkhal Pulse, was unveiled on 19 February 2023 and was a collaboration between Christine and first-year Sound of Innovation students Lena Chen and Matteo Traverso.
The perks of being the only one
Christine stands as the sole member of her graduating class this year. However, Christine was not discouraged by this, and says being the only one has made the course more interesting for her. Christine: “I have been attending classes with both classmates who graduated last year and those who just started their first year. This has given me a cross-year experience and an opportunity to gain different perspectives I wouldn’t have gotten in a different setup. I also was able to get hands-on attention and specific, detailed ideas and suggestions from my teachers.”
That’s why I wanted to create a sound funeral, where we can think wholeheartedly about what is happening and what it means to us to mourn animals, if only for a brief three minutes.”
Christine Chen
Sound Funeral for the European turtle dove
While Christine has cherished her time in the Sound of Innovation program, every good thing must eventually come to an end. Christine's journey in the program concludes with the completion of her final project, titled Sound Funeral. As the name suggests, this project is a sound installation that serves as a funeral, specifically dedicated to the European turtle dove—a bird species vulnerable to extinction due to relentless hunting. This immersive installation combines spoken words, visuals, human voices, and an urban soundscape, inviting the audience to participate in a solemn recitation of a mourning poem for the turtle dove. The experience is enhanced by the sounds of the turtle dove's calls and its interactions within its natural habitat, including urban landscapes. Through this experiential "sound rite," a profound commemoration takes place. Christine designed a granular loop using MaxMSP software, which enables the integration of live performance sounds into a real-time visual and audio response (as depicted below).
A moment in the granular loop Christine made in MaxMSP, pulsing and taking shape in real-time, as part of her finals project < sound funeral >.
The goal of the project, Christine says, was to preserve some evidence of the turtle dove through sounds, and to bear witness to fragments of decay and extinction that are constantly happening around us. Christine: “This project provided sound as evidence, as an incessant vibration throughout the funeral that served to connect the people reading the poem with the sounds of the doves. I fear that only through them disappearing will they prove to us their need to be respected… But that’s why I wanted to create a sound funeral, where we can think wholeheartedly about what is happening and what it means to us to mourn animals, if only for a brief three minutes.”
All about finding truth
As for the future, Christine’s plans remain experimental, true to her nature. She hopes to exhibit her sound funeral project at the Tot Zovers Museum in Amsterdam, as well as participate in a group performance in September 2023 with her fellow Sound of Innovation students. She has also received an offer to participate in an artistic residency as part of a larger sound art series in China. Mostly, though, Christine hopes to continue her work on sound art projects related to seeking and showcasing truth, much in line with one of her favourite experimental musicians Zbigniew Karkowski, who said “all good art has...only one prerogative: the necessity to find truth at all costs.”
Christine’s tips for prospective Sound of Innovation students
Christine also has some tips for anyone interested in studying the master’s course Sound of Innovation in Enschede. She notes that it is important to clarify the projects you want to do early and show that in a detailed learning plan that is realistic for the course’s structure. Part of this learning plan includes the right teacher. Christine: “Find the right teacher(s) for what you need at the beginning of the semester. Determine if there are suitable teachers for what you want to learn, work that into your learning plan and figure out how to contact them.” Above all, Christine says, whether in the programme or in life: “don't work on projects that you don't want to do. It is common to feel discouraged or encounter obstacles while creating authentic work, but only you can fully believe in what you’re doing. It is even possible to start all over again if need be, for a project you truly believe in!”
