Sept Fest 2022 presents

Mixtape vol. 32 - Side A & Side B

Mixtape Vol. 32 - Side B

Swan Song (2022) — Andy Yang

Based on the myth of the mute swan, which describes these creatures’ apparent voicelessness as the inspiration for the phrase “Swan Song,” the eponymous title of this work, the piece begins with silence and visuals of glorious light. It builds visually and musically, gradually forming into an imaginary entity of abstract forms and structures. As shapes move freely around the collecting subforms, the main form slowly encloses the subforms in a womb-like structure. As the light ebbs and flows and emits light from within a new form, the work mimics the misconception that mute swans cannot and don’t make noise, when they indeed can, they are just quiet and can only be heard from a certain distance. The main form closes with the sight of faint silhouettes from within. Simulating the muffled sounds of a struggling being in a lonely world, the music fades in or out, and the video ends with light fading into darkness. Akin to the dying light of a candle. Just when everything seems to be ending, the form delivers a final glorious and beautiful song before it dies. Everything blacks out, not unlike the former The Substation venue. A final farewell.

The Interview

Andy Yang — AY | Lizzie Wee — LW

AY: Liz! Hey. Good morning. Good morning. How’s it going?

LW: Good morning! I’m good. I’m alive [laughs] I was at the Billie Eilish concert last night.

AY: Oh you went for Billie last night? [laughs] 

LW: Yeah, it was so fun. But also in the crowd, we just kept checking the Straits Times website for news on the repeal. 

AY: Oh yeah yeah. Yesterday was crazy man, I immediately texted Ezzam, and he was like “no, don’t, no kidding right?” I said “no, no, no, it’s true! Turn on your TV and see, they just announced it” and he was like “ Oh My God!” 

LW: Yeah man, we heard the news there so we all danced for a while and the cheers in the crowd were not just for Billie, but also for no more 377A; it’s not perfect, but small victories right?   

AY: That's great. How was the show? 

LW: Wow, it was really… just great. I actually saw Billie perform many years ago at Laneway and I was already her fan from then, but I was so blown away. She’s just such a performer now, to see her growth was truly amazing. Also just 3 people on stage.

AY: Right, and her brother. He’s the real mastermind, right?

LW: Yeah, Finneas, he’s so talented. Speaking of music, the title of this show is Mixtape. So I was wondering, do you have any memories, fond or otherwise, regarding this act between friends or lovers of exchanging or gifting meticulously curated tapes or CDs?

AY: Um, okay. I mean, I grew up on mixtapes, like cassettes and everything. Yeah. So my earliest memories of like mixtapes were from my elder brother, who's like five years older than me, it was like back in the 80s, and he was like, you know, really into Depeche Mode, and all this New Wave Synth Pop stuff. He would come back with the hair… You know like in those days the hair dyes? So I remember this Depeche Mode cover. I think one of the guys in his yellow hair. So he went to do it. But his hair actually all dropped off. [laughing] 

LW: What! [laughs] Oh no!

AY: Yeah, I don't know, because, you know, the chemicals back then were like really hardcore. Yeah, yeah. So back to mixtapes, all the like pop culture and everything, we got from there. The thing is because I was growing up in Malaysia I think all this music may have come out in like maybe 1982, but you probably listen to it only in 1984, so it wasn't really up to date, and also being kids, we didn't really have much money. So everybody's like overdubbing and overdubbing and we keep using the same cassette, right? Because like, we finished with this mix tape. Okay. After a week or two, we’re like “hey let's do another mixtape.” You get somebody else's, then you find a double deck, and then you re-record the other one. But the thing with magnetic tapes is that the more you record on it, right, the worse it gets. The sound quality just degrades. But nobody minds because some of it was just playing on a like mono speaker of a cassette player. So nobody was complaining. So all this led to like all the little mobile discos all. There used to be pop-up discos here and there at some places. And then we would just go there and just play a couple of bucks because to just hang out and listen to music, you know. Yeah. So yeah, I have a lot of fond memories surrounding mixtapes. But I think my dad threw them all away.

LW: That's so cute. I feel like the idea of like a mobile disco is also very interesting. 

AY: Yeah, it is. Nowadays we have so many pop-ups. But you know, back then we were only doing this because it was like, I think it was cheaper to run. You know, it's like, yeah, then you don’t have to like pay a lot and I think most kids that go were underage so they couldn't go to the clubs.

LW: Right, youth culture. A place to hang out. 

AY: Right. Yeah. So it was really, really fun and we will always trade cassettes but I think I spent quite a lot of my money on music, so it's crazy. Since like from CDs till now. Before that there were cartridges, but I didn't buy too many. They were mostly for my dad. So I remember getting ABBA and listening to it by plugging it into the car, but there were also cassettes. So actually LPs were too expensive, obviously, especially if you don't have a turntable or a hi-fi. So cassettes were the best. Yeah. Then when it came to CDs I started to do mixtapes that way as well. So actually when it came to CD, it was much more sophisticated. Like there were still pirated cassettes and pirated CDs, which we didn't know any better, but we have the music, so we just shared it, so it's kind of like, you know, the early pirate bay. 

LW: Yeah, haha I remember the time of Limewire too. 

AY: Yeah, so people did make a business out of, like selling pirated CDs and even cassettes. I remember in school there were some enterprising guys who would like, you know, do a couple of mixtapes then sell it for like five bucks or something. We would all pool our money to get five bucks saved, then share the mixtape amongst ourselves, then use empty or re-tape our cassettes and redub everything. Yeah, yeah, so it was quite crazy and when I think of it, it was actually quite lovely.

LW:  wow, how were these mixtapes curated? Were they just like “oh these are the popular songs like this is what's going to sell?” 

AY: Yeah, but for me, it was my brother who started me off on like this New Wave stuff. It was interesting to me. So then eventually I started to look for other sources of new music. We found like, you know, magazines like Smash Hits at a time, right? 

LW: Right. I remember.

AY: Yeah so then we’d be like “let's just get a couple of magazines” and also we’d share the cost and take turns to cut out you know, the bands that we like and the artists we liked then. Whoever paid more could choose and we’d just like, also listen to the radio. We listened to the radio from Singapore because we were on the Johor side right? So, most of the time we listened to Singapore radio playing all this old stuff like from the late deejay Chris Ho. Chris Ho was quite far ahead when it came to new music so we always tuned into his shows like of course he also played all the American top 40 and all those things. Then after that my music taste changed and I got into heavy metal and then went back to jazz again, then after that it was like experimental stuff. So I mean, right until now it's like, I mean, there's always like a mixtape kind of mentality to me. I don't even have a Spotify account, actually. I could have had Spotify, but I didn't. I've not used it because I've got so much of my own music. All my curated playlists, and my playlist of songs that I always play like, you know, it’s like my…uh deserted island…

LW: Desert Island Playlist? Oh please do tell. 

AY: Hmmm, old Jackson Browne stuff like, Heavy Metal stuff, The Black Crowes, Rock and Roll. Yeah all the classics and then some like Synth Pop, then some Jazz. It’s kind of an eclectic mix. So I still have like a couple of, like, iPods, right? iPods. Like you can’t use it casually because the old chargers don’t work well. But they’re actually kind of like these time capsules. You know, like during this time you were into this kind of music, and, you know, there are certain things that you carry on like right till like…  there are certain songs that will stick to you all the way. I'll try to work these things out, because the battery doesn't really work, so you’ve got to try to charge it and try to keep it alive. The whole thing, right? So it's like trying to buy back all the childhood memories. So I'm always like buying records. So that's like, quite crazy. So now that I can spend a bit more. [Laughs] I can now afford turntables and it’s like “oh this is how we’re supposed to listen to music” because with the mixtapes the sound is just muddy and all, you know. But with LP’s is like “oh shit, man, this is how it should sound,” you know. So then you start to appreciate the music more and you start to realize that you know, even listening from a crappy kind of sound system, right. If your music is good, like it touches you, it doesn't matter what kind of sound system you have. You could have a very good sound system, but if your music sucks, it still sucks [laughs].

LW: [laugh] Real.

AY: So, yeah, those are those like my memories of having mixtapes. Music was always quite a big part of my practice actually.

LW: Right, so this year's theme for SeptFest is uproot | rootless. And I believe that there's power and fluidity and adaptability. Do you kind of relate to these notions in your practice or like in life, maybe like someone who lived elsewhere and then came to find your home here in Singapore?

AY: Yeah, of course. Of course. I mean, it's like in fact, I was just thinking about it coming up with a theme for my next show. I thought of the Malay word pindah (to move) because I really pindah from Malaysia to Singapore [laughs] and I’ve still got roots in Malaysia. Then a couple of days ago I was meeting up with a few Malaysian friends, and I always feel that no matter how far you go, because you grew up in Malaysia together, it’s like this special bond, right? Yeah. Even though you're not a citizen anymore. But it's always just like that, roots that you have from childhood are quite hard to actually shake off and I find that quite cool. Like the other day remember I shared with you? Like when you’re Malaysian or you grew up there, there's this special bond there. Wherever you are. Yeah. So sometimes I do feel that you know, like, I don't belong here. But again, that, you know, because of the situation in Malaysia is like, you know, it's just not really conducive for my children. So I just have to move forward and you know, and it's just, it was great while it lasted or when I was growing up there, but I think I just like keep it as a memory. So this theme of uproot | rootless is quite similar to these ideas that I'm always thinking about that even though you're here as a Singaporean but you know, your roots are still there. It's quite strange and somehow that feeling that when you cross over the causeway into Malaysia, you're like, “oh, it's home.” It’s a very strange thing. And you’re always told, “be careful, you know the crime rates are high.” Somehow I feel like I'm like an OG there. You know that kind of mentality as soon as I enter, and you know, you just slip into, like, the language easily. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

LW: I guess like when you go back to Malaysia, I also feel like I am always reminded of how kind and how friendly everyone is in Malaysia, and having grown up there myself, I also have a deep connection to the country. There's something that really like brings me back to my childhood also and that’s very comforting.

AY: Yeah. Yeah, definitely. There's always this root. Even my music taste was like heavy metal, or rock stuff, you know, I was always hanging out with the Malay boys. So they also had their own mixtapes, like all the heavy metal mixtapes. Yeah. So I don’t know why I’m always closer to Malay guys rather than Chinese guys when I was younger, but I mean, even now, most of my good friends are Malay. I guess also because I can speak Malay better than I speak Mandarin. So it's like the language is there. Yeah, obviously I mean childhood plays a big part. But also Malaysia is nice to explore. Yeah. So I’m always thinking like I should go to places like Australia to do a residency or like overseas in Europe. But just next to Singapore you've got like a really rich and interesting neighbouring country to visit and learn more from, yeah.

LW: Agreed. I think especially because of Covid I've been looking at everything with a new perspective. Yeah, and you don't need to travel so far to visit somewhere that's like very culturally rich and I guess like the fact that Malaysia is just our neighbour, we all always overlook it because it just seems like, “oh. Can go anytime.”

AY: Yes. I think we took it for granted, I feel. But for me what I took for granted is, you know, initially, you grew up listening to songs from the U.S. and of course we’re Westernized. You want to visit London, you want to visit America. But again, is that you realize that in fact, after Covid, even before Covid, you start to realize how fucked up some of these countries are. And they are actually looking to us in Asia because we have come a long way from the colonial period.

LW: When was the last time you were in the Substation’s physical space, and can you describe how you felt about that space, and are there any other poignant memories of the Substation?

AY: Oh, the last time was I think it was like Tang Da Wu’s show, together with his son, Zai Tang. I think that was the last time I was there, I was there with Ezzam and then I think Zai Kunning had a show there… Oh yeah! That’s the last show that Zai Kunning did. So that was the last time I was ever there. Yeah. Then after there was all the hoo-ha, all the drama and everything online. Trying to keep the place. Yeah, but yeah, I had quite a couple of gigs there, so there's quite a lot of memorable gigs, like some experimental ones with Bani Haykal, I think I did one or two shows, I worked with Bani when he was, I think, artist-in-residency. Yeah. Then there's another show which was with Syndicate. One of the best gigs there. Then even all the people, you remember the other day when we were at Crane? Yeah. You know that guy Shaiful. So he was there too. This how I meet all these guys like, I mean, they were like from Esplanade then they went over to Substation, so everyone seems like part of a family. So every year for the Night Festival, the Substation is the craziest, craziest place and the most happening will always be Armenian street. I remember. Yeah, I think this year must be quiet because they don't have the Substation at Armenian street anymore. Yeah.

LW: Oh, but the Night Festival had like a bazaar on Armenian street this year, that I saw. 

AY: Yeah. But you can't compare like to that time. Yeah, it was like a street fair. It was like this, you know, back then you've got traffic still going through it and people are running across the street to say “cheers” to each other. It was almost like an outdoor bar. Everyone hanging out the front, you know. And having like all the concerts there, it was like a highlight for the Night Festival. That's the one thing actually missing this year. Yeah. So usually everybody would go down, and like the artistic director will always buy durian for Night Festival. [Laughing] Always buys two big baskets of durian and everyone eats.

LW: Wow, shiok. [laughs]

AY: Yeah. Then everyone drinks. It’s very kampung spirit. A group of punks always hung out there, I don't really know since when, but they've always been there lah. Yeah. So yeah punks were there, and it's a bit like a cultural area, where you can hang out at. You don't hang out at Esplanade. They’re actually the same, both like art institutions, but you really only hang out at the Substation. So I think that's the importance of having the space, after all, the rawness. Right now the rawness isn’t the vibe, of course, the show is only run by a skeleton crew, like Ezzam, Yvonne, and you guys. I mean all the curators right?

LW: [laughing] that’s true. Especially for this SeptFest. 

AY: Quite DIY. I was telling Ezzam “be careful, don’t work yourself to death,” compared to other festivals with more support like crew and all, like their budget is really much higher. But yeah. It’s nice that that DIY spirit is still there. A bit of Punk rock mixed in you know.

LW: [Laughs] Like a punk rock mixtape. Like our show. So tell me more about the work that you made for this show Swan Song. Obviously, I saw a lot more colour in some of the earlier drafts and like maybe you can talk about how you made the decision to make a completely black and white work.

AY: Oh yeah. I started off feeling like everybody was talking about like this whole thing about the Substation closing down and everything, but nobody really like bid farewell, at least I felt, properly. So this work came from wanting to make a closing… like to get some closure. So initially I was like, I was really looking at it as like a video work. Ezzam was the one who said “I want you to do a digital piece.” Which was cool because he wanted it to be a bit more complete, like he wanted to start with like Li-Chuan’s work as if everything being really lost. Then we end with like a sort of like how you wrote it, like bookends, which actually completes everything. So initially I wanted to use colours to actually show like, how the whole thing, how colourful the Substation was and then let that go into an ending of sorts. But then after doing that I felt like, you know, that iit just doesn’t feel right. Remember, I told you like, “okay, let's just put this aside and see what's the best.” So I just strip down all the colours and then I had like the image of a black swan from Swan Lake in mind and then this idea of the swan song, right? It's like a farewell song to actually send the Substation off from the physical space and to emerge as something else, you know? So it's like a second life. So which is why I stripped it out the black and white as well. So it's actually a bit more melancholic, but still, you know, you get the message across much better, I feel. Yeah. And then, you know, of course when you strip it down, to the forms to actually speak more. So you're not distracted by colours and yeah, so that's the whole idea of like coming up with the black and white. So if you look at the works now right, the textures and all, they look kind of smoky and feathery and almost like a form slipping in and then ending and then coming back up again. Almost like a Phoenix of sorts. Yeah. So, that's going to be like the future and nobody knows, you know, what's going to happen in the future, but that's where we are. So it's like a proper send off also. Well, for the physical space. Yeah.

LW: Very cool, and can you describe to me the process that you kind of went through in terms of for the music? Because obviously not just the visual, but the music you did yourself. One stop shop! So yeah, I think they really respond well to each other and maybe you can tell me about that process, a little bit of how you composed, then played and also recorded the musical component.

AY: Okay. The thing is, because like while I work, my mind works both musically and visually. So as I was working on the piece, I roughly already had what I had in mind for the music part. So I always do stills of a work even if it's a video work, I'll do the stills first and it has to work as a still and bring the message across as a still image before it’s animated. So while I was doing that, piecing them together layer by layer in Procreate, in Photoshop, then the idea of the black swan came in and then I had like bits and pieces of like how I wanted it to sound and like what kind of effects I wanted to use. So I tied down like certain parts with certain effects and how to do this. How to make things broad, how to make things like more dramatic in certain areas. And how to peak in certain parts where I put like these shimmery parts of sound and to depict the movement. Yeah. So that's how I tied things together. So it's all really tied in my head as I put it out. So after I finish kind of like roughly, not even looking at the animated piece, when I send it out for animation. So I just put the pieces onto my iPad. Then I went into the studio to record the song, yeah. So I just timed myself roughly like, you know, 3 to 4 minutes. I'll look at the visual for a while then put it away. Then I'll just let it flow. So I just started playing and recorded the whole thing and then I handed it over to the animator and yeah. So he did the rest of the work. Yeah, of course going down to the little details like all the nitty-gritty. But the main call was already there.

LW: Yeah. And I obviously had the privilege of coming to your studio to see your physical paintings and kind of the integral parts of your process that you've developed. Is there anything that you have picked up as a ritual whether it's superstitious or functional, and does it differ whether your work is digital or physical? like what is the difference for you when you kind of start a piece?

AY: Okay, the thing is, my mind kind of looks like it's a bit of a sketch. So it's a mishmash. There's a lot of stuff going on in my head, so I'm… usually I have to start somewhere. So I get very paranoid if I don't do anything. So that's where I get, you know, “what if I don’t paint today, I don't know, I may lose my skills the next day,” so I'll always be doing something like if I wait for the paint to dry, I'll be working on the computer while waiting. So no time is wasted. So most of these things they will just come. And the thing is, I think my approach to making art is always like, you have to start first, you can’t wait for like the inspiration to come in. So I need to stimulate that creative journey. I need to start the journey first, and then see how it goes. Yeah. And sometimes you get lost. Most of the time you get lost. Then you find your way back again. Yeah. So of course with years of practice and of doing work. I roughly have this certain style of getting things done, sometimes under pressure. Sometimes not under pressure, but it kind of works lah. Sometimes I'll write something when I’m half asleep,  I'll just like have an idea or something, and just type it out on the phone and get back to sleep again. Or I'll have like a very vivid dream or something then I’ll just like try to write it down, in my notebook or on my phone, which is always at my bedside and then try to see it again to try to work on it again. Yeah. So most of these things work that way. So whenever there's a brief or something then of course I'll try to work from there. But sometimes how I start may not turn out to be what I initially wanted it to be, which is actually the best part. I mean, it's always the element of surprise there and it's quite a scary anxiety and just kind of a feel there. But I mean, that's how life is, right? You can start something, and you don’t know really. You can plan as much as you can. You know, but by the end, sometimes it turns out well, sometimes it doesn’t. Yeah.

LW: I am also curious if there was a surprising aspect of any point of making, this work, Swan Song. So during the process was there anything that surprised you? 

AY: I think I didn't really expect it to turn out this way. [laughs] So initially it was very, you know, you saw the first images and drafts of the video and all those things that I put together. So yeah. It's quite surprising that it turned out this way, but I actually had something similar in one of my sketches, I always keep my little sketches, whatever, like pencil sketches or things. Um, so it’s one of those things that I did a couple of months ago and I never thought that it would make any sense, until maybe a few months down the road, when I was like stuck on Swan Song. So and then I was like, “oh, I remember I did this form before, should I just expand on this, I think this works for Swan Song.” So then I'll just go right in. Then it became “Wow. Okay. It’s alive!” So there's been a couple of these experiences, which is why I stopped throwing away my sketches [laughs] and works that don’t work. I don't destroy them. I just put it away. Because there's always time. Time is actually one of the very important things for my process of making. But it's just that because you know, we are all so pressed for time, so everything needs to be quick. But you know the painter Howard Hodgkin? His work takes 2 or 3 years to complete. He starts one, then he puts it away to one side, most of his works are titled by the years he spends on them. When he starts and ends. I mean, so the time in between is also very important. And of course the mood for the day. So, you know, certain days you just can’t get it right out. But some of those days could also be days that you do really good work. Yeah. So this is why I'm always like trying to be in the studio or even in front of a blank paper or something at home or at a studio, just to start something and see where it goes. Yeah. Because I'm not really the type that likes to sit down and wait for ideas to come.

LW: So I guess I actually only have one last question and it's more for fun. Obviously, Swan Song is already a farewell to the Substation space, but what would you imagine to be the best possible farewell to the Substation space? And this can be a totally no limits on like anything: cost, timing, anything that you want.

AY: Well, yeah, I think probably having something like how they celebrated for Singapore Night Festival. [Laughing] Yeah, probably like, I don't know, probably just like, have something at the garden or something. Yeah. Maybe this is a little dark, but we could probably do like a fun funeral, [laughing] you know, usually funerals aren’t so fun but seriously, I had a friend who passed away two years ago. So she knew that she was going to pass on because, you know, she was in a critical condition. So she did a living wake. Yeah. So everybody attended and was happy, I remember it was on Zoom like because it was during Covid, nobody could go out, and we were all talking about like good times we recalled, and she's actually like there! You know usually when you're gone and people go to your funeral, you are not there. So you don’t get to hear how people feel about you. But she then got to hear all these things like, you know, uh, how they treasured, like, you know, their friendship and everything. So yeah, it's more like a celebration, I guess. There are some funerals which are more like a celebration. We should do something like that.

LW: Yeah, we should. But also definitely have baskets of durian! Punks eating durian, I really think is a very strong image in my mind.

AY: We should do like a procession. Like, you know, some Chinese funerals for those who have lived for like more than 100 years. So everything, even the candles aren’t white, they’re red. Because it's like a life well-lived. So it’s really more like a celebration and it's like a good send-off. Yeah, yeah. So it’s a bit dark, but you know.

LW: But I think it’s very fitting. It's like bittersweet, right? It's like a farewell, but also like celebrating all the times that everyone has had. Well, thank you for taking the time to talk to me for this interview and for being such a pleasure to work with on this project!

AY: Most welcome, so yeah. Alright. I'll catch up with you again. [Laughs] We can go for a kebab.

LW: Yeah. Sounds good to me. [laughing]

AY: Me. Yeah. It's been crazy to work with you.

LW: [laughs] same here. Okay, I’ll talk to you soon, bye!

AY: Okay bye, let me know if you need anything, okay?

LW: Alright, bye!

AY: Ciao babe!

Biographies

Andy Yang b. 1973 is a multi-disciplinary artist known for his abstract visual and sound experimentations. His explorations between visual art and music led him to the creation of works under musical stimuli with The Observatory. In Anitya 1 (2011) at the Earl Lu Gallery of the Institute of Contemporary Art Singapore, the process of his art-making cycle was exposed in full, from the point of creation to destruction. In his latest ArtScience Late feature at the ArtScience Museum, the work Ceremony (2019) produced together with SAtheCollective, saw the artist celebrate the experiences of human childbirth through an energetic sound performance set against an elaborate visual art installation. Andy was also one of the key artists (in a select group of 8) who presented DE:VOTED (2020) a critically acclaimed immersive art experience at Helutrans for Singapore Art Week 2020 featuring an intense communion with light, sound, and performance art.

Lizzie Wee (b. 1993) is a Singaporean multidisciplinary artist, curator, designer, illustrator, art director and video editor. She received her BFA from New York University and an MA in Fine Arts from the Goldsmiths programme at LASALLE College of the Arts. Her present practice-based research investigates notions of identity and belonging; through an examination of archetypal female roles found in Southeast Asian pop culture and visual media. Her works are expressed through video, performance, writing for performance, and mixed-media installations. Wee has exhibited internationally in various galleries, showcases, symposiums, and art fairs in Singapore, Taiwan, Shenzhen, Szczecin, New York, Shanghai, and online.

Her curatorial practice has focused greatly on making art accessible and exploring tools like social media to allow a wider audience to experience and interact with either a physical or digital show. Most recently she has curated a 6-month takeover programme at the I_S_L_A_N_D_S Peninsular gallery space, a two-person online exhibition for the Substation, and this two-part online showcase for Substation’s Sept Fest 2022, Mixtape Vol. 32 - Side A & B. She has also presented solo exhibitions at Leevan Art Fair, Shenzhen in 2019, and I_S_L_A_N_D_S Peninsular, Singapore in 2022. She was awarded the Winston Oh Travelogue Art Award (Special Edition) in 2021. Apart from her artistic practice, Wee has worked with Sotheby's Hong Kong, and Kitchen Hoarder, a woman-run production team focused on lifestyle and food culture. 

Mixtape Vol. 32 - Side A & B

Mixtape Vol 32 is a two-part online exhibition included in the line-up of The Substation’s SeptFest 2022, which features 2 artists, Chong Li-Chuan and Andy Yang for Side A and Side B, respectively. Curated by Lizzie Wee, this online showcase is organised in a way that is reminiscent of the act of making a personalised 2-sided mixtape for a loved one; to share a curated playlist that soundtracked a particular moment in time. In What is the sound of one hand clapping? Li-Chuan captures the sounds around the still-existing-but-closed space at Armenian Street, where The Substation used to reside, to create a soundscape composition for Side A; while Andy Yang animates abstract forms and light to an original composition which ebbs and flows in Swan Song, an uplifting farewell to the space we one knew for Side B. In tying with The Substation’s theme for SeptFest 2022: uproot | rootless, Mixtape Vol 32 is an ode to the transition from the physical space that The Substation used to inhabit for the last 32 years to the uprooted, transient, and versatile entity it currently exists as. 

These two works act as bookends of SeptFest 2022: Side A will be released on the 1st of September and Side B will be available for view on the 30th. Mixtape Vol 32 - Side A & Side B are both a nostalgic interpretation of how we grapple with the loss of what The Substation once was as a place and institution, yet still look to its current fluid form and identity, while considering how to shape its hopeful future.