Sound Wave, 2013 By Sok Chanrado

In Sound Wave, Sok Chanrado explored sound and performance making. Interested in the role of media, and in particular its freedom and transparency, as well as its influence on public opinion, Sok presented a mixed media installation, incorporating a bicycle specially fitted with a loudspeaker. This homemade vehicle was driven by the artist around Phnom Penh city. Along the way, Sok stopped to ask his fellow citizens their views about the media. Recording the responses he encountered, the artist then immediately broadcast these recordings over his sound-system while riding off in search of another person to interview. The process thus repeated, over and again, in a cumulative “wave” of community-driven views. The media does not tell every story; and so citizens inform each other of news and opinions rather than relying solely on official sources. Sok Chanrado’s Sound Wave explores this dynamic in a kind of performed sound that both reflects and addresses the community around him.