sound shadows by jess tsang

sound shadows are everywhere. magnified by the acoustic resonators of concert bass drums in conjunction with electronic amplification, objects sing and shiver, awakened by a sonic environment both volatile and sympathetic.

these pieces embody the lack of control we have over our environment, the treasuring of physical objects and the stories they tell, the pleasures of hearing a secret sound, and the connection between us and everything we use to move through the world. for the percussionist, the stick is a conduit to sound...but so is the scrubbing brush, the pottery shard, the wrench.

our objects inform others and ourselves about who we are. often we keep them as reminders of places we’ve been or people we’ve been, talismans of those who have come before us for those who will come after us. why are we struck by certain objects, and at what point do our collections consume us? wandering through antique stores, certain things call out our names, some cry out louder than others. in many ways, these are fragments of our own identity reaching out to us. I dress, I collect, I hoard, I acquire because otherwise, how would I know who I am?

Jess Tsang is a percussionist, researcher, and improviser based in Brooklyn, NY. She is endlessly examining how objects shape our lives, and how that might be translated into music.

jesstsang.net