“THE Inquiry of Noise” Urban Sound Installation Exhibition is being held at the Shenzhen City Sound Museum, Nanshan District through June 20, seeking to raise public awareness and understanding of urban environmental issues through an auditory approach.

On Friday, over 60 guests from Shenzhen’s design, culture and art communities attended an opening ceremony and the exhibition preview, which were engaged in lively discussions.

Visitors sit inside Li Yang’s sound installation “432.6HZ Space.” Photos by Lin Songtao

Xu Qiushi, assistant professor at the School of Design of the Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech), and Li Yang, curator of the Shenzhen City Sound Museum, co-curated the exhibition, with sound artist Shen Piji serving as art advisor.

“As a new environmental issue produced by human beings in industrial society, noise is causing great damage to ecology, animals, plants, and both human physical and mental health. Let’s inquire into the noise while listening to it,” Xu wrote in his foreword for the exhibition.

The exhibition features students’ works from Xu’s “Sound and Senses” design studio course at SUSTech’s School of Design. The junior students applied their knowledge of physics, chemistry, and electronic engineering to create sound installations that address a variety of urban environmental problems, including waste, urban noise, light pollution and overconsumption.

Visitors experience SUSTech students Yan Siyuan and Zhang Yijing's work 'Lumisonic Resonance.'

Additionally, six sound installation pieces by Shenzhen-based sound artists are incorporated into the exhibition, presenting a more diverse and profound perspective on urban challenges and conveying the artists’ focus and appeal.

By introducing urban concerns, cross-generational and cross-disciplinary design, the exhibition acts as a social classroom to cultivate people’s sense of social responsibility and awareness of designing for the real world.

It provides a one-of-a-kind auditory experience that challenges conventional visual perceptions, while generating public consciousness toward environmental issues.