Buzzing with
creativity
Two artists have inspired one another by continually pushing the boundaries of their mediums. Now, with the help of 130 drones and dozens of musicians, they are producing a multisensory show that takes their work to yet another level.
November 24, 2021
Multidisciplinary Japanese musician Ken Ueno and Malaysian-born, US-educated architect Thomas Tsang each embarked on artistic journeys to discover their own styles of creative expression. Their experiences come together in Daedalus Drones, an experiential performance taking place this month at Asia Society as part of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department’s annual New Vision Arts Festival.
In a total of nine shows over two weekends, audience members will navigate an outdoor garden and four galleries, travelling an uncharted path between chain-link fences as their senses are challenged by sights and sounds. No two shows are the same, and the spectators are also participants. They will be asked to look beyond what they see, and to listen for the finer details in the music. Get a glimpse into this collaboration between two creative minds.
Ken Ueno, 51, has never been one to conform or exist within preset boundaries. In fact, when he was training as a musician at the conservatory, his passion was in exploring how to use his own voice technique instead of learning how to sing opera.
“I love the moment of realisation that you can actually think outside the box,” he says.
In a way, Daedalus Drones reflects Ueno’s own journey of self-discovery as an artist. He wants audience members to travel through space – an outdoor garden and four galleries to be precise – where sounds of all different types come from all directions.
“They'll come in and then they'll be led through the garden rooftop area of Asia Society and experience the percussion. The percussion in different areas articulates the space differently,” he says.
“Then they gradually go up to the Robert and Chantal Miller and we have the installation performance there. So the journey is important... to arrive at this indoor space and also have the outdoor experience. I hope it will highlight that, in both cases, the space is also an instrument.”
He enjoyed the city’s culture and constant movement. “I thought, one of the best schools to study is actually not in the university itself, but the city around it,” he says. Not satisfied with staying within the confines of one discipline, he spent a year at The Juilliard School to learn about performing arts. His goal was not to become a musician, however, but to observe and examine how performances interacted with space.
In 2006, during a fellowship at the American Academy in Rome, he met Ueno and struck a friend as “the only two Asians” at the research and arts institution. Since then, their discussion about how to break free from boundaries has never stopped.
For him, Daedalus Drone represents how he sees experience and space, that it is not about just looking at one thing at a time, but appreciating all the nuances.
“You might be looking at the forest, but you still hear the taxis honking. You could still see the wheels, the 5:30 traffic. You could still hear the birds singing; you could still hear the water running,” he says.
“You might be biased [towards] looking at the percussion work that is slowly moving underneath the bridge. This is the type of nuance that is very difficult to capture through multimedia.”
In a way, Daedalus Drones reflects Ueno’s own journey of self-discovery as an artist. He wants audience members to travel through space – an outdoor garden and four galleries to be precise – where sounds of all different types come from all directions.
“They'll come in and then they'll be led through the garden rooftop area of Asia Society and experience the percussion. The percussion in different areas articulates the space differently,” he says.
“Then they gradually go up to the Robert and Chantal Miller and we have the installation performance there. So the journey is important... to arrive at this indoor space and also have the outdoor experience. I hope it will highlight that, in both cases, the space is also an instrument.”
For him, Daedalus Drone represents how he sees experience and space, that it is not about just looking at one thing at a time, but appreciating all the nuances.
“You might be looking at the forest, but you still hear the taxis honking. You could still see the wheels, the 5:30 traffic. You could still hear the birds singing; you could still hear the water running,” he says.
“You might be biased [towards] looking at the percussion work that is slowly moving underneath the bridge. This is the type of nuance that is very difficult to capture through multimedia.”
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Lorem ipsum dolor, sit amet consectetur adipisicing elit. Voluptatem dolore nobis recusandae ad maiores error quidem fuga, nam voluptatibus reprehenderit. Veritatis quam quae temporibus incidunt non, cupiditate nihil aperiam nobis.
Lorem ipsum dolor, sit amet consectetur adipisicing elit. Voluptatem dolore nobis recusandae ad maiores error quidem fuga, nam voluptatibus reprehenderit. Veritatis quam quae temporibus incidunt non, cupiditate nihil aperiam nobis.
Lorem ipsum dolor, sit amet consectetur
Lorem ipsum dolor, sit amet consectetur adipisicing elit. Voluptatem dolore nobis recusandae ad maiores error quidem fuga, nam voluptatibus reprehenderit. Veritatis quam quae temporibus incidunt non, cupiditate nihil aperiam nobis.
Lorem ipsum dolor, sit amet consectetur adipisicing elit. Voluptatem dolore nobis recusandae ad maiores error quidem fuga, nam voluptatibus reprehenderit. Veritatis quam quae temporibus incidunt non, cupiditate nihil aperiam nobis.
