In an era dominated by digital marketing and algorithms, this talk examines the exhibition on Chu Wing Kee through the lens of human touch and perception. The Sonic Art Group respond to the shop’s manual rhythms, material warmth, and ethnographic depth via sound, ceramics, microscopic gestures, interactive interfaces, and 3D reconstructions—highlighting the irreplaceable value of physical labour, memory, and human resilience against algorithmic efficiency.

Community Observation and Sonic Exploration

Moderated by Louiza Ho, the second SATA mentor-mentee session brought together a six-person Sonic Art group to delve into a community-based media project. The collective discussed their initial observations of local spaces, particularly focusing on the everyday rhythms and textures found within a cafe setting. By closely examining these physical environments, the team aimed to extract physical textures and translate environmental sounds into an engaging experiential journey.

Digital Archiving and Physical Interaction

A significant portion of the dialogue centered on the intersection of physical objects and digital preservation. The mentees shared their processes of utilizing 3D scanning and 3D printing to create detailed digital archives of the physical items they observed. To bridge the gap between the audience and these digital models, the group integrated NFC technology, allowing viewers to trigger specific audiovisual responses and interact directly with the museum-style artworks. Furthermore, the application of transducers was highlighted as a method to draw out hidden acoustics and test sound quality across various physical materials.

Machine Learning and Audio-Reactive Systems

The artistic technicalities expanded into the realm of artificial intelligence, with group members detailing their programming approaches for a four-channel video setup. The team explored Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) and machine learning algorithms to process audio inputs. By feeding sound data into these neural networks, they successfully generated dynamic, audio-reactive videos where specific audio triggers directly influence visual feature maps and matrices. This innovative use of algorithmic processing allows their digital artwork to continuously evolve based on sonic data.

Collaborative Artistic Vision Under Louiza Ho

Guiding this multifaceted technical and creative endeavor was the moderator, Louiza Ho, who helped the six artists navigate their experimental methodologies. The session underscored the importance of moving beyond purely traditional aesthetics to embrace machine learning, sensory interaction, and digital archiving. Through this guided moderation, the mentees were encouraged to maintain an open, highly experimental mindset, pushing the boundaries of how audiences perceive and interact with their community-inspired sonic installations.