Goh Lee Kwang: I do not take sound and no sound as opposite, they are next to each other, like twins

Goh Lee Kwang is well known as Unmotion Picture Soundtracks, Zweitausendein. 

Goh Lee Kwang (family name Goh) breakthrough the international art scene in early 21st century, his works covered a wide variety of avant-garde, electronic and experimental art-forms. He currently live and work in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Goh performs and exhibits internationally at festival of contemporary art and music, and has released numerous recordings.

Goh is the founder of Switch ON, a platform for electronic arts in kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Goh is also the founder of Herbal, a music publishing label.

His first one-person exhibition 'Sound, Video, Visual, Media and Installation' shown in 2 venues: National Art Gallery (Recently rename to National Visual Art Gallery) and R.A.P. (Rumah Air Panas) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 2005; his second one-person exhibition 'Good Vibrations' shown in 3 venues, REKA Art Space, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 2007; Fluctuating Images, Stuttgart and Künstlerhäuser Worpswede, Worpswede, Germany 2008. In 2009 his third one person exhibition 'Wiring' including a 30mins video, a live performance, 2 short video pieces (looped), some drawings and a sound piece (WAVER), were taken place at Findars Space and Klpac (Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Center), both in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. 2012 again he has a one-person exhibition at Findars Art Space, with 3 sound pieces, 1 single channel video, drawings on the wall, and a interactive opening performance with the audiences.

Goh is the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including the Akademie Schloss Solitude Fellowship, Stuttgart, Germany in 2004 -2005, Klangraum Fellowship, Krems, Austria in 2006 and Künstlerhäuser Worpswede Fellowship 2008. Other short term Artist-In-Residency programs including KHOJ, New Delhi, India 2006; STEIM, Amsterdam, The Netherlands 2007 and 2010; WORM, Rotterdam, The Netherlands 2007, and Green Papaya, Manila, Philippines 2007.

Goh is the founder of Switch ON, a platform for electronic arts in kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Goh is also the founder of Herbal, a music CD publishing label, Herbal released recordings by Eric Cordier, Eric La Casa, Jean-Luc Guionnet, Cédric Peyronnet, Beequeen, Roel Meelkop, Sabine Ercklentz, Andrea Neumann, Jason Kahn, Zbigniew Karkowski and many others.

2010 STEIM, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

2007 Green Papaya, Manila, Philippines.

2007 WORM, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

2007 STEIM, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

2006 A-I-R Krems, Krems, Austria.

2006 KHOJ, New Delhi, India.

2004 - 2005 Akademie Schloss Solitude, Stuttgart, Germany.

Goh Lee Kwang told radikaliai.lt about himself and his music.

You worked with a plethora of artists over the years. What collaborations were/are the most interesting and important to You and why?

I'd say all materials available now (which everybody can find it online) are those interesting & important. What I consider interesting & important is because those works are challenging, and we are having fun at the time we making it.

Can You tell me, in short the main ideas are behind Your music? Could You name Your favorite Your compositions / albums / collaborations? What about the new album? 

There is not big idea behind my works, I am only exploring various possibility of making music/ sound. I also did not have particular favorite. Now with bandcamp (https://gohleekwang.bandcamp.com), I will upload the works that I would like to sahre with others anytime when it is really. 

The sound is magic. You‘ve proved it. But, what ends, when there‘s no sound?

Sound is magic, no sound is magic too. I don't take sound & no sound as opposite, they are next to each other, like twins. People who appreciate sound will appreciate no sound too.

What is and what is not a Sound Art?

Sound art is something involve arty elements. We have the art history to teach us what is art, and what can be art. What is not sound art? I guess when everybody (including the artist/ musician who produce it) think a piece is not sound art, then it's not.

What do You think about relations between the old art and computer art? Are they compatible?

When we talk about old art, we are thinking based on a period of time, it is not really related to the artwork itself; When we talk about computer art, we are looking at an equipment to make art, a tool or an object, or more abstract, a genre, based on the tool or object. I 'd look at it as the different between digital arts, and non-digital arts. And it is too early to talk about digital arts, because it is only less then 100 years old. I am exploring the new possibility to use smartphone as an instrument recently (not use it as virtual instrument, or to playback sound sources), what I am looking at, is an processor that much faster then our desktop computer or even laptop computer 10 years ago. So it much be able to create something other then 'computer music'.

What do You think about thousands of neofolk/industrial/ambient/tribal/electroacoustic/avangarde etc. bands/projects? Is it a kind of trend, o just a tendency forwards better music?

I did not think a trend as a negative thing. It is a matter of how many people actually like a genre, and how much they like it, and inspire them to get involve, to produce those kind of things. If a genre of music can get a lot of peoples like music, that's good. If it can make / inspire peoples making music, that's even better.

What inspires You most?

Everything gave me inspirations. A scene outside my window, or the foods I ate, a conversation I over heard from my next table when I was having lunch etc. And of course those great works of music, movie, book, arts.

What are You working on right now?

Every once in a while I will make a CD release, the new CD that I spend long time to work on is because I want to work with music instruments, but I don't like my own playing, so I have to find a way to make it sound like it is not my playing. Apart from that I am finalizing my Europe tour in June-July, some sound installations for festivals, and an exhibition (of my drawing) planned for November-December.

Terima Kasih! Thank You!