Low Volume Ear Cleansing

Composer Charles Kwong, currently living in Tung Wan, considers Hong Kong a city with severe noise pollution. All sorts of omnipresent noises join forces to continually numb your ears.

Until they move to Peng Chau, former urban dwellers—Charles included—do not realise that what they used to regard as “quiet” was far removed from its reality. Charles always thought his old home in Kwun Tong was pretty quiet at night; he only became aware of how loud the vehicle noises were in Kwun Tong, and how they carried on 24/7, after he moved to Peng Chau. After moving from East Kowloon to the area of Wai Tsai Street, artist Sze Ka (Sze) not only started to notice the sounds of nature and became able to identify the chirps and calls of the different birds, she also began to recognise more noises in the city itself. Peng Chau seems to have a cleansing effect on the ears.

There are no roads for cars on Peng Chau, and that’s why—unlike most places in Hong Kong—the island is free of the beeping and buzzing of traffic. Lamma Island has its cars, and there are the emergency vehicles on Cheung Chau, like its miniature fire engines and ambulances, and these must always honk their horns to make their way through the crowds of tourists; but the emergency vehicles on Peng Chau drive at a relatively slow rate, making less pronounced, less intrusive appearances.

Artist-in-residence Georgia Golebiowski stayed at Wut Tung Sat on Peng Chau for two months. Her paintings map out the serenity that is only possible in the absence of car traffic. “Peng Chau has a rather pale under-painting—it’s all blank. All sounds sing on this blank canvas, where they can travel further and resonate longer. You hear the sounds for a while before you see their object … the vibrant colours of the sounds go perfectly with this blank base … Peng Chau is a painting of serenity.”

The blankness of Peng Chau allows sounds that in the city are normally masked to sing. The absence of car traffic noise provides the backdrop of Peng Chau.

清耳仔的底聲

如現居坪洲東灣的作曲家鄺展維（Charles）所言，香港是個「高噪」的城市，四方八面無時無刻都有各類噪音，只是長期處於此等環境，耳朵已然麻木。

先後由市區搬入坪洲的人，似乎都有如Charles般發現往日的「靜」並非真靜：搬入坪洲前，Charles 一直覺得家中夜晚頗靜；但搬到坪洲後再回觀塘舊居，才發現那裏一日到黑都有車聲，原來頗嘈。而之前家住九龍東，現居圍仔街一帶的藝術家史嘉茵（阿史）更說，搬進島住才留意到自然的聲音，發現不同雀鳥的鳴叫和作息。自從住在坪洲，阿史反而在城市察覺到更多聲音。看來，坪洲有類近清腸胃的「清耳仔」功效。

和香港絕大部分地方不同，坪洲並無馬路，也就沒有馬路滔滔不絕的車聲。大嶼山固然有車；長洲的緊急車輛如小型消防車、救護車都要響警鐘使眾多遊人讓路，而坪洲的緊急車輛因為速度較慢，聲音較輕柔，所以也未有太礙耳。

在島上住了兩月的坪洲「活動室」駐場藝術家Georgia Golebiowski（Georgia），以畫比喻坪洲少了這層噪音的安寧：「坪洲嘅底色好淺，畫上空白一片。全部聲由呢片空白襯托，傳得遠，留得耐，聽到個聲一陣先至見到個實物…… 啲聲嘅顏色好鮮豔，但加埋一齊又好夾 …… 坪洲係幅好寧靜嘅畫。」

坪洲的空白，令平日被掩蓋的聲音顯得清晰。少了馬路的寧靜，是坪洲的「底聲」。

:: Recording 錄音 ::

Main Streets of Peng Chau/ 坪洲大街
6’49”
Yip Kai-chun/ 葉啟俊
Afternoon/ 下午, 12/01/2018
Around Wing Hing Street & Wing On Street, Peng Chau/ 坪洲永興街、永安街一帶
Zoom H6 Handy Recorder/ Walking While Recording/ 邊行邊錄音
chitchat, footstep, walking stick, radio/ 閒談、腳步、柺杖、收音機

Peng Chau north/ 坪洲北邊
5’02”
Yip Kai-chun/ 葉啟俊
Afternoon/ 下午, 12/01/2018
Outside Sea Crest Villa, Peng Chau/ 坪洲翠濤花園外
Zoom H6 Handy Recorder/ Handheld/ 手持錄音
footstep, dog/ 腳步聲、狗

Coast of Nam Wan/ 南灣海邊
4’43”
Yip Kai-chun/ 葉啟俊
Afternoon/ 下午, 12/01/2018
Along the coast, Nam Wan, Peng Chau/ 坪洲南灣海邊
Zoom H6 Handy Recorder/ Walking While Recording/ 邊行邊錄音
sea, bird, wind, motorcycle/ 海、雀、風、機車

:: Tuning Silences — Listening to Peng Chau 怎個靜字了得 — 耳聽坪洲 ::
> Prologue 引言
1. Low Volume Ear Cleansing 清耳仔的底聲
2. Noises in Serenity 靜中帶嘈
3. The Songs of Birds and Bamboo 鳥風竹浪
4. Festivals and Ritual Ceremonies 慶典祭祀
5. Ferries Coming & Going 船來船往
< Conclusion 結語