In the heart of Vancouver’s Chinatown lies a National Historic Site of Canada, a hidden gem amongst the bustling city: the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden. This summer, the Garden invites visitors back to experience the soundscape installation, Be Like Sound by artist Paul Wong. Meander around the tranquil paths, koi-filled ponds, and traditional pavilions, and you’ll eventually come across the picturesque courtyard of the Hall of One Hundred Rivers and it is here that you will find the experiential installation: a not too long, not too short, 28-minute meditative journey, pulling you into the present as you sit on a bench, close your eyes and identify each sound as it comes, piecing together the absent imagery in your mind.
Paul Wong is a visual and media artist who works out of Vancouver. The title of this piece comes from a famous quote by the martial artist Bruce Lee who said, “Be like water.” For Wong, sound, like water, is essential, flowing and ever changing. This is Wong’s first ever sound piece and it includes a tapestry of archival, sampled, remixed and new audio recordings. The soundscape took Wong over two years to collate with the help of researchers, composers, sound engineers and designers. The six-channel surround sound system was installed with the acoustics of the courtyard in mind and has been strategically tucked away so no tech is visible (one speaker is hidden in a rock!. The sounds dance all over the space, and mix and morph into the present-day echoes of Chinatown that enter from outside the Garden.
The selection was inspired by Wong’s own childhood and what he used to hear walking along Pender Street. It is arranged into categories that represent the five elements of Feng Shui: metal, air, fire, water, and earth. Sounds include a ping pong game, Cantonese opera, pop from the 80s, the bustle of a Dim Sum restaurant, the chatter of conversation in Mandarin, Cantonese, and English, a 100-person Chinese dragon from a 1974 video that he digitised, a badminton game, the clatter of Mahjong tiles, the rustling of bamboo, babbling brooks, construction work, and an airplane flying overhead, to name a few!
It chronicles Chinatown’s changing appearance, people, and energy since its establishment in the 19th century and highlights the sounds that we are losing, or have already lost to development. By acting as a portal into Chinatown’s past, the piece shows how art can be a method of preserving the intangible heritage of a very storied place, with a resilient community. Be Like Sound is on loop every Thursday from 1pm – 3pm until July 25, 2024. Please note that there is an admission fee to enter the Garden.
The piece was funded by the City of Vancouver’s public art program in 2022 and is part of an ongoing collaboration called 身在唐人街/OCCUPYING CHINATOWN that Wong and the Garden began back in 2018. The project includes other multidisciplinary works based on 700 letters from 90 people that were sent to his mother, and a book that combines essays on his Chinese-Canadian identity amongst his art and photographs.
The Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden offers a unique opportunity to improve your wellbeing through a mix of art, nature, and cultural heritage and getting there is easy—it’s just a short walk from several bus stops and SkyTrain stations.
There are many ways to get to these by transit. Visit TransLink’s Trip Planner to find your way.