N°2 Song of the Nightingale
The expression “speak out” in Chinese is fā shēng, which literally means “to produce sound”. It often has a vital social component, but at the same time emphasizes an immediate choice and agency. While Michel Chion interprets sound as a cognitive act, “to produce sound” is more of a concrete social practice, one that creates a spark. te’s second issue takes inspiration from recent events and debates reverberating all around us, and the 10 pieces in this issue investigate the transformative points of contact where sound, language and action intersect. Together, the contributors discuss this abstract and ubiquitous medium, creating an album of diverse and dialogical tracks. The appeal of sound lies in its improvisation, but it remains mysterious due to the various roles that it has played historically and in modern society, as well as its absence of physical form. How can we use words to describe sound? How does sound operate in different contexts? What does it mean to speak out? How does sound become a form of individual expression and what are its possibilities and limits? There are no correct answers to these questions, and finding an answer may no longer be relevant at this point. But this issue may offer some ways to navigate our current dilemmas. In Xenia Benivolski’s contribution to the issue, she considers British radio broadcasts during the Second World War. When the nightingale songbirds and cellist Beatrice Harrison’s ensemble played, this music composed between nature and humanity was so magical that the BBC used it to soothe the minds of listeners in the midst of war. And what’s more, nightingales have two distinct traits: they migrate with the seasons and they sing out in the dark.
Editorial excerpts: https://te-magazine.com/N-2-Song-of-the-Nightingale
“发声”一词常常附着着浓厚的社会属性，同时又强调了一种即时的选择与能动性。Michel Chion把声音诠释为一种认知行为，而“发声”则更像是对这种认知的具体实践，是一个触发点。我们在第二期的编辑过程中反复受周遭发生的事件启发，用10篇文章来对声音、语言和行动的相交处进行焊接，去讨论这个抽象又无处不在的概念，旨在创造多频“声道”。声音的魅力在于它的即兴，但也因其在历史与现代社会中被赋予的种种使命以及物理形态的缺失而变得近乎神秘。何以用文字去书写声音？在不同情境中，发声的主体是什么？发声所代表的含义为何？发声是否一定要借助“声音”这一媒介来完成？个体应以何种形式表述？又有哪些可能性？这些问题均无标准答案，或许答案在这个时代已不适用，但书中的内容或许会提供一些跻身逆境的方法。本期的写作者之一Xenia Benivolski提到了二战时期的英国广播，那时英国电台常会播放夜莺与大提琴家哈里森的合奏曲，以此安抚听众在战争环境中的忧惧。这种自然之声与人类共谱的乐曲是如此幻妙，而夜莺通常具有两种特性——在季候中迁徙，在暗夜中鸣唱。
About te magazine
te is an annual bilingual publication on contemporary arts and cultural anthropology. Based on specific themes of each issue, we commission practitioners from different expertise to explore the dynamic cultural landscape between regions. The topics include the fluidity of cultures, languages and ideas in specific communities and the adaptation of individual narratives to the shifting social environment and geopolitics.
te aims to create an open and shared creative platform. The content can range from written articles, interviews, poems and photographs etc. We would also love to include manuscripts, notes, archives and other first-hand materials that documents or go along with the outcome. We hope to see the provided content as an extension of the author's daily practice; at the same time, we look forward to generating new forms of content through communication with the author.
《te》是一本关于当代文化人类学的双语年刊，其每一期会根据特定主题，委托来自不同领域的创作者探讨地域之间的动态文化景观，包括地方社群的语言、传统、和文化在当下不断更迭的状态，以及个体叙事如何因社会环境和地缘政治的发展而变动。
Editors: Michael Guo & Kechun Qin / 郭鹤天 & 秦可纯
Assistant Editor: Yang Sun / 孙杨
Contributors: Moe Satt, Mi Chan Wai, Hu Wei / 胡伟, Laurel V. McLaughlin, Musquiqui Chihyin / 致穎, Felix Chan / 陈浩源, Xenia Benivolski.
Featuring conversations with Chung Yung-Fung, Hsia Hsiao-Chuan, Jonathas de Andrade, Andrew Nevins, Ha Guangtian, Zeng Yukun, ZY and Sturla Brandth Grøvlen.
Cover photo courtesy: Sturla Brandth Grøvlen
Graphic Design: Can Yang / 杨灿
Size: 185x260mm
Pages: 150p
Languages: Chinese & English
Hectograph, thread-bound
ISBN: 978-1-957144-70-2
