1.Tape Music- Sound Measurement

“Tape Music” starts with a parody. When Lin Chiwei was invited to play on stage in a media art festival in 2004, rather than presenting conventional laptop music with video images, he announced that he will present a new work which is called “Analogical Tape with Digital 3-bit Music”. On the day of the show, Audiences are surprised to find a long plastic ribbon with transcribed anti-war poetry is transmitted to their hands. An invited presenter, with four little flags in hand, starts to “conduct” the audiences in real time to play four kinds of noise instruments previously distributed. The result is a riotous party with bursting laughs and shouts ,which annoyed many ,whilst amused the rests.

However the system was kept on developing after the first show, Lin considered the “tape” can be used as a practical tool for sound composition, as it is capable of synchronizing participants in a repetitive way, such as a Tape-Delay.
The idea was soon applied to his new work:“Tape-Music Traditional Chinese beta1.0” .The new version is composed on Chinese and it’s Romanization, but instead of the poetry in the first version, there are only a-semantic phonemes on the Tape, while the pitch of each note is undefined. The artist tried to use tone expressions in mandarin in place of the pitch notes (for example, the pitch interval between first tone and the third tone in mandarin is close to a Minor third). A schema of tone combinations was established, based on the schema, three main motifs were developed, which constitutes the main structure of the new piece. Since the phonemes were read and chant by untrained participants, the probability distribution preserved an easy recognizable pitch-range variation, even when each reader has different intonations. The composition was shown in Taipei performance art festival in 2005 and was proved to be a success, however the result is not necessarily provocative, it turns to be a mantra-like polyphonic chanting.

Since 2005, “Tape Music” was brought by the artist to different communities in diversed contexts, Many of them were not art related, “Tape Music” visits the places such as temple ,church, primary school, labors in the factory, folk music clubs ,community growth group , profession training center , local government office, psychological workshops , staff training courses, all kinds of local communities and even private houses . It was as well shown in different art festivals such as poetry, performance, music ,architecture festivals and biennales. In order to meet the need of different communities, “Tape Music” was converted to different languages , such as French, Swedish ,Cantonese, Phasa Thai ,Hindi ,English (in the order it was created), even with a graphical version designed for the illiterate elders in the asylum.

Typically these audience-based performances worked out without rehearsal, even without giving previous instruction ,it starts when the tape is transmitted to the audiences, when one starts to chant, the others followed, then a collective (sound) structure would gradually be established, while all kinds of improvisations and disagreements happened in quite unpredictable manners. However, everything happen during the session is considered to be part of the whole thing.

Since the performances were frequently repeated in the following years, several practical principles were gradually set out around 2007-2008: 1.Artist do not organize any session by himself, nor giving any previous instruction to the audience.2.The seats are arranged in clockwise order to form a spinal. 3.A 10-second pause in silence before every performances.4.the repetive practice of the tape was documented in video.

The installation version of “Tape Music” was produced in Puli in 2008 as a community art work, seven different social groups from this village recovered from serious earthquake, was invited to play the Tape, the result is a 5 channel video installation which shows diversed sound interpretation of each group. In the year 2009, “Tape Music” was invited by Shenzhen-Hongkong Architecture Biennale to realize an community based art work, Six local musical groups including Folk Community, Oratorio Society, and Cantonese Opera Club were invited to play “Tape Music” in their own rehearsal space, and the final output of the research was a 6 channel video installation which shows very interesting comparison between each groups ,and their distinctive representations of gender,politic and religion in sound had turned the performances inside-out. The serie of work was thus called “Social Sound Measurements”(click here to see the intro).

“Tape Music” had it’s first interactive installation version in Shanghai Biennale in 2012, Two solid “cassettes” were especially made for the purpose. Each day several sessions was held under the guide of museum workers for curious crowds to explore the tape, without the presence of the artist. (click here to see shanghai biennale exhibition)

The 2014 retrospective in IT gallery demonstrated the 13 year evolution of “Tape Music” series ,there were more then ten versions of original “Tapes” were exposed, together with a collection of relative manuscripts and scores, videos and sound documentaries. The 34 channel video-mixer with 34 recordings from different communities was showned on a purpose made wooden mixer which audience could listen to the recordings separately or combine them to make a new remix!

The artist premiered also the first Multi-Track work in the opening concert ,which marked a great leap in “Tape Music” composition, The “Multi-Track Tape” allows not only conventional music to be transcribe and played, it would open the door to an entirely new approach in the treatment of sounds. (click here to see the Multi Track Tapes)

Text Documentaries 2007-2009
Measurement List since 2007-2009 (with photos)
Journal -HK-frindge-theatre.pdf（2007）
Journal-konsthallC.pdf（2007）
Journal-Cite-des-Arts.pdf（2007）
The Notation of Tape-Music Traditional Chinese beta1.0, 120m(2008)

Video Clips 2007-2009
Click here “5 cities (Taipei,HK,Stockholm,Paris,Peking)“
Click here “Stockholm,Konsthal C“
Click here “Paris,Cité des arts“
Click here “Sydney,Bill & George“
Click here “Canberra,ANU “
Click here “Installation for Shenzhen architecture biennale 2009“

See all recent Mono Tape-Music performances

Classic Chinese Version,2010

List of Tape Music Sound Measurements before 2009

Tape Music for Shenzhen‭ ‬Center Park‭ ‬Djembe‭ ‬
Time:22, Nov, 2009
Venue:,Shenzhen ,China
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Tape Music for Shenzhen Middleschool Brass Band
Time:16, Nov, 2009
Venue:,Shenzhen ,China
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Tape Music for Tomiyama Tech Limited‭-‬‭ ‬Folk Orchestra
Time:15, Nov,2009
Venue:,Shenzhen ,China
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Tape Music for Shenzhen Oratorio Society
Time:14,Nov,2009
Venue:,Shenzhen ,China
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Tape Music for Lotus Community hand drum group
Time:13, Nov, 2009
Venue:,Shenzhen ,China
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Tape Music for Nanyun cantonese opera society
Time:,10,Nov,2009
Venue:,Shenzhen ,China
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Tape Music for Shekou Street Nansui‭ ‬Company Limited‭ – ‬Hakka Folksong Choir
Time:10, Nov, 2009
Venue:Shenzhen ,China
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Tape Music for Tonghwa children art school
Time:7,Nov,2009
Venue:Shenzhen ,China
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Tape Music for School of art
Time:17, Oct,2009
Venue:School of Art,ANU , Canberra
See video: http://www.linchiwei.com/wp-content/pics/ANU-canberra.mp4
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Tape Music for Kiss Club
Time:,22,Oct,2009
Venue:B & G , Sydney
See video: http://www.linchiwei.com/wp-content/pics/Kiss-clubsydney.mp4
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Tape Music for China Avant-Guard Music Festival
Time:24,Mars,2009
Venue:D22, Beijing,China
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Tape Music for Sound Poetry Sessions(Burning the Guqin Cooking the Crane)
Time:2, Jan, 2009
Venue:Pen-HaoTheatre,Beijing,China
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Tape Music for Plaza Performance Art Open Expo
Time:,2008
Venue:SongZhuang,Beijing,China
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Tape Music for Dadao Live Art Festival-2
Time:24,Aug,2008
Venue:Rain Gallery,Beijing,China
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Tape Music for memorial site of Wang-Chuang
Time:2008
Venue:Memorial site of wang-Chuang.Ju-Jia-Ko,China
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Tape Music for Dadao Live Art Festival
Time:2008
Venue:Cube Space.Shanghai,China
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Tape Music for Up-On International Live Arts Festival
Time: Oct,2008
Venue:Nonyuen,ChengDu,Si-Chuan,China
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“Tape Music” for the Eye Opening and Enlighting Ceremony in wanshou temple.
Time:24,Aug,2008
Venue:Wan-Shou Temple.ChangChun,Jilin,China
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“Tape Music” Performnces for the opening of “SoundField” exposition.
Time:16:00-16:15(only for 15 mins) ,8,aug,2008.
Venue:798 Art Distinct (Sugar Jar)
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“Tape Music” performance for the 1st Changsha performance art Festival
Time:15:00,1st,aug,2008
Venue:Plaza Anjiuleyuan.
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“Tape Music ” performance for the 809 International New Image Art Festival
Time: 28,July,2008
Venue:Sichang ,Yichang,Three gorges area,Xiaosita,Jiangjiamiao,4 zu.
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“Tape Music” in “Fractional Lot”
Time:19,apr,15:30
Venue:Dun-Hwa South Rd,Sec1,No:170,3F

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Photo:Liu-Nai
“Tape Music” for Zendai Museum of Modern Art,Shanghai
Time: 2,April,2008
Venue: Shanghai ZENDAI, Shanghai, China

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Photo:Liu-Nai
“Tape Music” for Shanghai Asahi culture & business training center,Shanghai
Time: 3,April,2008
Venue: Shu Guang Building

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“Tape Music” for Boyo Social Welfare Fondation
Time: 17,Nov,2007
Venue: Boyo Social Welfare Fondation,Puli,Taiwan
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“Tape Music” for Creativity Workshop in Chi-Nan University
Time :21,Nov,2007
Venue: Chi-Nan University,Puli,Taiwan
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“Tape Music” for Overseas Chinese Association
Time :25,Nov.2007
Venue: Chi-Nan University,Puli,Taiwan
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“Tape Music” for Di-Mu Temple
Time :25,Nov.2007
Venue: Di-Mu (Mother earth) Temple,Puli,Taiwan

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“Tape Music” for Tao-Yuan Elementary School
Time : 5, Dec, 2007
Venue: Tao-Yuan Elementary School,Puli,Taiwan

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“Tape Music” for Puli City Hall
Time : 5, Dec, 2007
Venue: Puli City Hall , Puli, Taiwan

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“Tape Music” for the Tower
Time:19.Nov ,2007
Venue:Wuji-Tianjuan Temple ,Taipei
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“Tape Music” for SuiYuan Primary School
Time:19.Nov ,2007
Venue:Sui-Yuan Primary School ,Taipei
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“Tape Music” for SuiYuan Primary School
Time:12.Nov ,2007
Venue:Sui-Yuan Primary School ,Taipei
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“Tape Music” for “Beijing Shout it Loud Festival”
Time: 20.Aug ,2007
Venue: Shao-Bai’s House , Beijing
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZ30qylt8kI
http://www.yanjun.org/blog/2007/08/06/大声展咖喱秀，北京8场你等着/#more-1292
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“Tape Music” for Live/Life
Time: 10, juillet, 2007
Venue : Cité des Arts, Paris
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“Tape Music” for “Our Voices”
Time: 19 , May ,2007
Venue: Fringe Club ,Hongkong

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“Tape Music” for Taipei MOMA
Time: 31.Oct,2007
Venue: Taipei MOCA
See also for details (chinese): http://jupo-jupo.blogspot.com/2007/10/2007929.html
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photo: Jupiter Xu
Tape Music” for Konsthall C
Time: 25 ,March, 2007
Venue: Konsthall C, Stockholm

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“Tape Music” for “ANTENNA” festival
Time : 3,Feb,2007
Venue : Les Voûtes , Paris