Liquid Architecture, in partnership with Monash University Museum of Art I MUMA and the Biennale of Sydney is pleased to present a special talk by Hong Kong based composer and artist Samson Young. The talk will be convened by Dr James Parker, the Institute for International Law and the Humanities, University of Melbourne.

Samson Young will discuss his work Canon, a sound installation and durational performance which incorporates the Long Range Acoustic Device (LRAD), together with the legal and political barriers to performing and exhibiting this work. The LRAD is a sound cannon or ‘non-lethal’ sonic weapon capable of broadcasting sounds in a straight beam to a precise target over a maximum distance of 1000 metres. Frequently deployed by law enforcement around the world to ‘neutralize’ protesters, when used at maximum volume the LRAD is capable of inducing permanent hearing impairment. The same technology is also used to repel birds on private properties such as airports and nuclear plants.

Young’s work Canon is comprised of a sound performance, an installation, and a series of drawings. Bird songs and distressed calls of birds, accompanied by a live performer’s improvisational bird calls, are beamed with a Long Range Acoustic Device (LRAD). The sound travels over a long distance to reach the audience. At the listening position, which takes on the appearance of a park, birdsongs appear to have emerged out of nowhere with no visible source. In music, a ‘canon’ refers to the technique of imitative counterpoint.