Giving a voice to sound

Chinese singer Zhu Zheqin, better known as Dadawa, continues to push boundaries in the art world, this time with a new exhibition titled Sense of Hearing: Dadawa's Participative Sound Field.

The exhibition, held at Today Art Museum in Beijing from Sept 15 to 22, marks Dadawa's entry into contemporary art.

Dadawa combines sound sensors, lighting effects, large water pools and the voices of 70 volunteers to reflect the change of sounds visually.

"What attracts me most about this exhibition is that I am not a singer standing on a stage facing the audience. This time, like everyone else, I am a listener," says Dadawa. "I hope people can feel the power of sound."

To bring out the "architecture of sound", she mixes deep khoomei, an ancient Mongolian throat-singing technique, with the sounds of water flowing and dripping. Other noises include cries from a baby, a person snoring, cicadas chirping and machinery thumping. Visitors are also encouraged to produce their own sounds.

Dadawa, who's from Guangzhou, Guangdong province, became a singer in 1990 after taking the top spot on a TV talent show. Instead of focusing on her pop career, she traveled around the country seeking inspiration for her music and took a special interest in music by ethnic groups.

Working with He Xuntian, a famous composer and producer, she gained international recognition through her album Sister Drum. Released in 1995 and inspired by Tibetan folk music, the album sold over 3 million copies in 56 countries. In 2006, Dadawa was nominated for a BBC World Music Award for her album Seven Days.

In 2009, she was named as a National Goodwill Ambassador by the United Nations Development Program for a two-year goodwill action project. The project, titled Show The World, was aimed at preserving ethnic music and local handicrafts.

It took Dadawa to minority regions in China's Yunnan province, Guizhou province, and the Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang Uygur and Tibet autonomous regions. She and her team collected more than 1,000 songs.

Her album Moonrise, which was released last December, was inspired by the trip and features ethnic groups' music and instruments.

"Without the trip, I would never have made this exhibition happen," says Dadawa.

"I have been sensitive to sound since childhood. I like listening with my eyes closed. During the trip, I realized how beautiful and valuable those sounds were, from the music by ethnic groups to the sounds of nature. I feel very real and grounded when I'm listening to those sounds."

She also hopes that more young Chinese musicians will leave big cities and seek inspiration from remote regions.

"The original music scene in China is very weak. Most of our young musicians imitate music from the West and other Asian countries rather than creating their own sound, which is very sad," Dadawa says.

"What they listen to is music produced and processed by a computer, which is not real music."

Gao Peng, director of Today Art Museum, invited Dadawa to make a sound art exhibition "not only because she is an outstanding musician but also because she embraces the openness of contemporary art".

"Sound art appeared as an independent art genre in the late 20th century, but it's rarely seen in China. Four months ago, when we first discussed the project, we didn't know how people would respond. Even on the day before it opened, we were worried about people's reactions."

Multimedia artist Li Zhenhua, the curator of the exhibition, says Dadawa wanted to present sound as pure energy.

"She offers a new angle to contemporary art in China," Li says.

"Sounds can provoke shared feelings among people, despite differences of age and cultural backgrounds. She wants visitors to slow down and listen to the voice of sounds. I think she has accomplished that."

chennan@chinadaily.com.cn