Interview with Sze Tsang

1) Who are you?

samarobryn, aka Sze Tsang :) I am a composer, musician, performer, academic researcher...also dog parent, succulent grower and FFXIV player. 

2) Can you describe your surroundings?

It's a lovely, clear Makuru day in Perth, Western Australia. Typical of this period, there is a distinct cold bite in the air. Sunlight is streaming through the windows. My dog, Nira, is asleep on the couch with a blanket. 

3) Where would you like to go?

To bed ;) It's one of those days...More seriously - if there is one place I could visit right now, it would be Antarctica. I've always been fascinated by that place. It's brutal, but also beautiful, and such an alien landscape. Amazing wildlife and geographical features. 

4) What would you say are the main features of your creative process(s)?

A lot of the time, I ask myself: how does something - a theme, a place, an idea - make me feel? Then I think about how I might express my feelings through sound. 

The primary feature in my creative process are field recordings. They are very prominent in the majority of my work, because I am often interested in how I can incorporate landscape into my work. 

Another feature that often occurs as well is sonification, i.e. the rendering of non-auditory information into sound. Sometimes that occurs via literally taking numbers from, say, a data set and translating them into sound. Other times, that occurs through using visual sequencer programs such as Iannix to trace the shape of a map or a photograph.

5) What do you really want your audience to understand about you/your art?

That ultimately my music is about expression and catharsis.

6) Does audience matter?

For myself, most definitely. I think of my pieces as invitations to others to join me on a sonic journey. I also enjoy receiving feedback - positive and negative - because it helps me improve my practice. 

7) Why Resist?

I will resist changing certain elements of my music because I want to remain authentic. I won't compromise my sound solely to gain listeners or popularity, for instance. I also resist the cismale-domination of the music field. I try my best to encourage more diverse voices and to listen, because I remember how intimidating it felt when I was starting out and feeling isolated and alone. 

8) Why do you do it?

Interesting question. A lot of this is a compulsion - I can't stop. It would make my soul bereft if I stopped making music. Being a musician is such an intrinsic part of my identity that I can't see myself ever not creating. 

9) What drives you?

Curiosity and representation. Curiosity, in the sense I want to find ways of creating music, and I take particular joy in finding music from unexpected places. Representation, in the sense a lot of my work also touches on a range of topics including climate change, history, and personal experiences. I also feel there aren't enough people who are POC and queer in music, and particularly experimental music. So I feel like I need to be making and releasing music to show that there are other voices out there, and to show to others who don't fit the dominant paradigm that they are not alone. 

10) What do you do in your daily life?

I am currently in the midst of my PhD in Music Composition. I would like to finish in the near-future! I also play in two rock bands, and collaborate with theatre makers and dancers. To pay the bills and keep the lights on, I work as a medical receptionist at a private doctor's clinic, and when the need arises, I also work as a COVID-19 contact tracer for WA Health.  

11) Do you have any strategies for adapting to the challenges of existing in your unnatural environment? If so, what are they?

Finding connections with others has been very helpful. It is very easy - particularly with my style of practice - to exist in a bubble. Groups such as EFSPACM have been invaluable in finding like-minded people. 

12) What is your favorite animal?

Dogs. Dogs are the best. They are so empathetic and offer unconditional love. My life has improved significantly since adopting Nira. She is a rescue dog and I am constantly amazed at how far she has come in confidence, and how affectionate she is despite what she's endured. She is also very expressive and we often have conversations about what we will do during the day. Right now, she would like me to take her for a walk so I will wind this up :)

13) What would your superpower be?

I would love to shape shift - having a different body for every day, depending on how I felt at the time. Maybe take on the shape of a bird and fly around the city, or take on the shape of a dolphin and frolic in the ocean. 

14) What’s the strangest thing you’ve ever seen?

Such a hard question...maybe the time I saw a guy in a Sailor Moon outfit on all-fours, being dry-humped by another guy at a nightclub?! 

15) Please tell us something about one EFSPACM project that you took part in, and how you worked on your piece.

I worked on the Javelin project, which was a lot of fun! I wanted to give the aural sensation of multiple javelins flying across the sky. So I found a data set of javelin throws and sonified those values. I also added the sound of my own footsteps to give the sensation of motion. 

Links:

samarobryn.bandcamp.com - my music releases

fb.me/brokengnomes - one of my bands

fb.me/paigemcnaughtmusic - my other band

https://thedirtymother.com/ - theatre collaboration