Creating a soundscape without limit
“For different locations, I have to use different tools.” The operational techniques used in the mountains are completely different from those used at sea.
“My favorite place is Mt. Taiping—it’s like a homeland to me.” Dauby can spend three days and nights at middle to high altitudes, engaging in an ongoing dialogue with nature. “Sometimes when recording sounds you can’t stop in the middle.” Often he first records everything, then returns to his studio to edit the material. “It’s like building up a database, so I can use the sounds when I need them.”
“Current tools are much more advanced than in the past.” One small computer can store a huge database.
Although Dauby’s studio is small, it has everything he needs, including hand-made instruments that emit all kinds of strange and unique sounds. One of the mixers, which he made himself, is small and sensitive, and he can use it to produce extreme sci-fi sounds whenever he desires.
Sound effects that are striking to people have always had a significant impact, and designing a soundtrack to accompany a plot has always been a display of artistry. Those who want to create innovative theater, dance, exhibitions, or visual arts all seek out soundtracks that fit their needs.
“Sound can make up the core of a work, without need for text or images to interpret it.” It can be like the art of mime, which silently entertains people. “When you hear birdcall, what do you think of?” With sound alone, even without a visual context, people can construct a story in their minds.
Sound is ever-changing and intriguing. Atelier Hui-Kan hopes that, through education and sharing, everyone can come to appreciate the subtlety of sound art. There’s an unbreakable natural link between human beings and the universe. When we use our sense of hearing to engage in a dialogue with the environment, our spirits rediscover the feeling of safety and belonging we associate with “home.” Sounds enter the ear, and from the ear enter the heart and mind, endlessly resonating.
A scene from the 2016 Bienniale of Sydney.
Atelier Hui-Kan holds a listening workshop in the Taipei Botanical Garden.
In 2010, for the CD Listen to the Atayal in Taoshan, Dauby traveled to an indigenous community to record songs of the Skaru’ tribe of the Atayal people.
Atelier Hui-Kan has several different mixers that they use to create a multitude of sounds. (photo by Jimmy Lin)
As a sound artist, Dauby is often called on to wait patiently and attentively in all kinds of environments. (photo by Chen Rohsuan)