Join Art27scotland Artist in Residence Elaine Cheng as she explores the binaries of Hong Kong and China through her new sonic composition, panel discussion and tales of the life of those who have settled in Edinburgh. Enjoy a coffee, green tea and bao bun breakfast!
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On Friday 5th of August at 10:30AM Elaine Cheng will present her newly commissioned piece which premiered in early June 2022, ‘Hear My New Life’, which explores themes of what Edinburgh means to those who have settled from Hong Kong or mainland China. The piece was composed from interview sessions with the local Edinburgh Chinese community and free improvisation sessions with the local musical community from around the South Side area of Edinburgh. There are stories of what the Edinburgh Chinese community think of Edinburgh and first-hand stories of abuse that these new residents have experienced being someone of Chinese heritage. There will be a panel discussion on the topic of the differences found in Hong Kong and China and how that has changed in recent years. There will also be a discussion on immigration to Scotland and any cases of racism that have arisen for those from the East and Southeast Asian communities, especially in light of the Coronavirus pandemic.
Elaine Cheng (she/her) is a composer/sound artist from Edinburgh, Scotland and from Hong Kong descent. Her practice is currently based around producing drone music from analog and modular synthesisers and has come from a compositional background in electroacoustic music. She has recently completed the Creative Practice Masters at Goldsmiths, University of London, under the supervision of Dr. Iris Garrelfs. In her debut album, Instead of Dreams (2021), she explores compositional techniques in drone and takes inspiration from her choral training in early music.
Elaine is an emerging artist working in the discipline of music and sound, creating compositions from soundscapes and improvisations. This is her first artist residency where she has engaged with the community of her Chinese heritage in her home city of Edinburgh.
Elaine has exhibited sound work in the Culture Lab, Square One and Occasion Festival in Newcastle, as well as at Trinity Apse in the Edinburgh Student Arts Festival (ESAF). In 2017, she was nominated for an award for her work, Happy Accidents, at the Edinburgh Student Arts Festival.
VENUE
ZOO @ Southside Venues, Southside Community Centre, 117 Nicolson St, Edinburgh, EH8 9ER
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Notes for editors
Press is welcome to cover the event in a non-reviewing capacity (including no star-ratings). Please contact info@art27scotland.com to arrange this.
For further information and press tickets please contact info@art27scotland.com.
About Art27scotland
Art27scotland is an Edinburgh-based non-profit Community Interest Company. It is inspired by Article 27 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which states that ‘Everyone has the right freely to participate in the cultural life of the community, and to enjoy the arts.’ Art27scotland is focused on exploring the powerful and sometimes conflicting relationship between our shared human and cultural rights.
Art27scotland is distinctive in Scotland, as it articulates global shared experiences through its locally-based international Artists in Residence. It aims to celebrate our connectedness to the rest of the world and develop empathy, listening and learning from others’ lived experience. It wants to share this exchange through art in order to stimulate broader democratic discussion and exchange relating to the rights of artistic expression, cultural participation and cultural democracy.
Art27scotland is part of the Culture Collective and funded by Creative Scotland.
For more information, please visit art27scotland.org.
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Instagram: @art27scotland
Twitter: @art27scotland
About Zoo
ZOO is an independent venue with a commitment to programming outstanding shows from across the totality of contemporary performance.