/ soundy I / a Weirdo the Last Music Box
for “Acquisitions office of Contemporary Art and Culture 2023”
“a Weirdo the Last Music Box” 2023
The sound sculpture made from used sound objects, radio receivers, kid toys, etc. Installation in the inflatable transparent tent 300 x 220 x 290 cm. for “Acquisitions office of Contemporary Art and Culture 2023” at National Art Gallery, Ministry of Culture, Bangkok. The collection of Ministry of Culture Thailand 2023.
This artwork was part of the Art For Air 2 exhibition curated by Kamin Lertchaiprasert. This exhibition “Acquisitions office of Contemporary Art and Culture 2023” for the collection of Thailand Ministry of Culture
The piece was inspired by the late Khvay Loueng (1940-2020) The Cambodian inventor, who often crafted DIY amplifiers from discarded materials found in electronic waste and cigarette packet cardboard. Loueng used these DIY amplifiers to amplify sound for funeral ceremonies in his local area. Arnont collaborated on sound art projects with Loueng and learned how to create sounds from electronic waste. This piece serves as a tribute to the late Loueng. Arnont utilized old radios, electronic toys, and discarded speakers, mostly donated to Arnont’s studio and collected for over eight years, to create “A Weirdo,” a sound sculpture that produces radio signal noises and error sounds. The sound sculpture is installed in a transparent dome tent, also donated by people in Chiang Mai, resembling a music box where visitors can enter to listen and view the artwork.
A Weirdo The Last Music Box (Text by Kamin Lertchaiprasert) Arnont has collected discarded objects and formed them into a virtual world. This world has a strange appearance, its inhabitants resembling both people and robots and also having aspects reminiscent of trees. It emits loud sound waves that may disturb us (noise) since we are unfamiliar with the world’s language. However, this may not be a problem for insects or other living things. Arnont also addresses the sound waves caused by errors and failures in film industry communication systems by combining them with the sounds of various insects that can be heard in nature at night. Today, material technology has advanced significantly, causing humans to distance themselves from nature and even forget its existence. The focus is on developing objects for humans, while neglecting all other environmental relationships. The destruction of ecosystems and other natural elements, such as forests, mountains, rivers, air, and other species, is a direct result of unconscious extravagant consumption and the disruption of nature, which causes it to lose balance. Arnont’s virtual world serves as a reminder of the messages that humans must hear before it’s too late and we face extinction.
Photos by Tnonra
more info : https://www.rcac84.com/art_collection/a_weirdo_the_last_music_box/
The last photo of Khvay Loueng (1940-2020) he took his DIY amplifier and speakers for the local funeral event in Phnom Penh in 2018.
"a Weirdo - The Last Music Box" R.I.P Khvay Loueng (2020)
The master of Phnom Penh who teach me how to enjoy electronic junk and the vibration are continue .. Live In Peace!
Documentary Another Sound I (2018)
