Feb 12 2018

Highlights From Samson Young’s “Songs for Disaster Relief World Tour” At M+ Pavilion

by Sophie von Wunster

In SAMSON YOUNG’s Palazzo Gundane (homage to the myth-maker who fell to earth) (2017), Michael Schiefel plays the role of Boomtown Gundane, a made-up South African singer-songwriter who, as the story goes, released a charity single to raise money for British schools and fund instruction in discipline, literacy and contraception. All photos by Sophie von Wunster for ArtAsiaPacific.

Following his presentation as Hong Kong’s representative at the 57th Venice Biennale last year, Samson Young’s “Songs for Disaster Relief World Tour,” has traveled to the M+ Pavilion in Hong Kong, with a few additional artworks. The show is an immersive investigation into the mechanisms of the pop songs that are released to raise money for humanitarian relief. It all started when Young came across the story about a group of unemployed musicians from Cape Town who released a charity single, Yes We Do, produced by the singer-songwriter Boomtown Gundane, in response to musical supergroup Band Aid’s Do They Know It’s Christmas? (1984). After finding out that the story was fabricated, Young decided to "give shape and pay tribute to the fictional musician, and imagine the world he inhabits.” This homage came in the form of Boomtown Gundane’s first “world tour.” Aside from the exhibition itself, we can see Gundane’s dressing room—a pop-up store where visitors can purchase items created for the exhibition. Here are some of the highlights from the show.

SAMSON YOUNG’s “Songs For Disaster Relief World Tour” tells the story of Boomtown Gundane, with the singer-songwriter and music producer’s role filled by experimental singer Michael Schiefel. Young then takes Gundane on a world tour.

Palazzo Gundane (homage to the myth-maker who fell to earth) (2017) includes a large 3D-printed statue of disparate elements encased in a glass vitrine, reflecting the broadness of SAMSON YOUNG’s research into the subject matter explored in the show, including new discoveries, today’s music industry and the process of material research.

Palazzo Gundane (homage to the myth-maker who fell to earth) (2017) is set up like a hotel lounge with jazz music playing in
the background. Sofas, heavy curtains and soft lighting that changes colors cultivate a relaxing yet uncanny mood in the room.

A projection starts, and Boomtown Gundane sings what sounds like Do They Know It’s Christmas? (1984) while standing in front of a burning waste dump. As the video continues to play, the installation’s curtains move along the interior walls of the room. Lyrics from charity singles that have been embroidered into the fabric are illuminated by the moving image.

In Palazzo Gundane (homage to the myth-maker who fell to earth) (2017), we see vinyl record sleeves covered with a heavy layer of silver or gold. The artist scrapes off the coating to reveal some of the images on the record sleeves, such as that of Pope John Paul II, and also leaves other markings on the metallic surface.

We Are the World, as performed by the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions Choir (2017) is in the second room, staged as a movie theater. In this video, the song We Are the World (1985) is reenacted by the Kwan Sing Choir, a recreational ensemble of the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions, the largest labor group in the city and a pro-Beijing political organization. M+ chief curator Doryun Chong pointed out that the artist has no intention of pointing out their political orientation. Rather, his goal is to enhance their expressions while whispering the lyrics.

Lullaby (World Music) (2017) is a video installation presented in a space mounted to appear like a recording studio. We see the artist at sea, recording the sound of the waves around him. When we put on the headphones, we hear him singing to the tune of Simon and Garfunkel’s Bridge Over Troubled Water (1970), though with the lyrics replaced by random numbers counted in Cantonese.

In addition to the artworks shown at the 57th Venice Biennale, SAMSON YOUNG also showed Carillon (2018), a Yamaha Disklavier “player piano” customized by the artist with personal items, such as books covers, silk screens on paper, a Hong Kong subway ticket, tobacco leaf, wrapping for Life Bread (commonly found in Hong Kong’s supermarkets), and videocassettes. The artist’s prepared piano reminds us of the technique that was popularized by John Cage and other avant-garde sound art practitioners. The keys of Young’s piano move, though many objects obstruct the piano’s hammers, preventing them from striking the strings and sounding most notes.

Detail of SAMSON YOUNG’s Carillon (2018).

Sophie von Wunster is an editorial intern at ArtAsiaPacific.

Samson Young’s “Songs for Disaster Relief World Tour” is on view at M+ Pavilion until May 6, 2018.

To read more of ArtAsiaPacific’s articles, visit our Digital Library.

Tools

| More

Jan 2017

Mar 2013