Hong Kong Soundscapes #1

Background As videogames move into the cultural mainstream, they come to culturally represent the place they originate from. Game research stresses the importance of Hong Kong for gaming, as it serves as the virtual background of a large number of video games (Davies). The growing cultural relevance of video games poses a challenge in terms of presenting the “emplaced visuality” (Hjorth) of network culture in physical exhibition spaces such as art museums. The problem relates to how these media-specific qualities effectively translate into a museum experience. ‘From 8 to 64 Bits: Hong Kong in Videogames’ used media art as a creative translation of the virtual experience of video games into an immersive physical experience for museum visitors in Hong Kong. Contribution I was commissioned to produce the 24min soundtrack ‘Hong Kong Soundscapes #1’ for the video installation ‘From 8 to 64 Bits: Hong Kong in Videogames’, showcasing video games made in Hong Kong. I used the art of sound design to contrast the virtual experience of video games with the physical urban spaces of Hong Kong by reworking field recordings, game sounds and original music. The acoustic sound quality created an immersive experience for museum visitors while locating the projected virtual artefacts of the video installation within the cultural uniqueness of the city of Hong Kong. Significance This project was exhibited at the Main Hall Gallery as part of the exhibition: Hong Kong: Here and Beyond. It was part of the opening of M+ Museum of Visual Culture in Hong Kong on 12 November 2021. M+ is one of the leading art museums in Hong Kong and the region. Hong Kong: Here and Beyond received global media coverage on outlets like E-flux, CNN and NYTimes. E-flux is read by 150,000+ visual arts professionals across Europe, North America and Asia. CNN Digital enjoys 3.4+ billion monthly page views globally. NYTimes digital reaches 164.2M online users globally, including Gen Z and Millennial audiences.