As part of the supporting program of ART HK, Hong Kong International Art Fair, I/O (Input/Out) and I/O Off-Site presented a performance by Hong Kong artist Samson Young. VernissageTV was on site to document Samson Young leading the iphone musicians through a music score of matrix notations on the opening day of the art fair. Everyone owning an iPhone and battery powered computer speakers could apply to participate in the performance after an hour of rehearsal. The participants were given instructions and the necessary free iPhone software.
Samson Young is a composer, artist, and scholar. With formal training in classical music and a keen eye for visuals, spatial installations and new technologies, Samson Young has been known to combine his diverse interests into uniquely intermedia concert experiences. Described by contemporary music portal Sequenza 21 as “epic, dark, and fun”, Samson Young’s music juxtaposes elements of play with violent instrumental gestures to create experiences of rich darkness and perverted poetry. Beyond the classical concert stage, Young’s creative output spans the widest possible range: from composition for symphony orchestra and live electronics, to amusement ride-turned-interactive installation, to multi-channel video featuring himself dressed as the red Teletubby.
In 2007, Samson Young became the first Hong Kong artist to receive the Bloomberg Emerging Artist Award with his Happiest Hour – a collection of Nintendo gameboy-inspired audio-visual installations. In 2009, CNN’s global portal CNNgo named him one of the “top 20 people to watch in Hong Kong.” Young was Hong Kong Sinfonietta’s artist associate in the 2008/09 season. He is currently a PhD fellow in music at Princeton University, and an assistant professor in critical intermedia art at the School of Creative Media, City University of Hong Kong.
I/O (Input/Output) is a recently established Hong Kong gallery focused on New Media. Through exhibitions, performances and talks I/O (Input/Output) aims to provide a critical platform for practice and debate amongst artists, curators and critics working across contemporary disciplines including digital art, design and sound. Engaging with commercial and non-profit organisations and activities, I/O (Input/Output) seeks to expand relationships between artist and audience, gallery and medium, artwork and collector.
Samson Young: Hong Kong iPhone Orchestra / Performance at ART HK 10. ART HK 10 Hong Kong International Art Fair 2010 / Collectors’ Preview and Vernissage. Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center, May 25, 2010.
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Complete video (13:40 min.):
