Presented by the Museum Of Sound in partnership with The Radiophonic Institute, The Sound Of The Year Awards is an annual, worldwide competition which invites people to submit recordings that help us understand more about the world we live in. We caught up with Hee Ju Im, a runner up in this year’s event, about her piece ‘Sound Of Daenam Broadcast’
Hi Hee Ju Im. Tell us about what’s happening in your recording…
“The recording captures the sound of North Korean broadcasts directed towards South Korea.”
What were you thinking and feeling while you recorded it?
“Because I couldn’t visually confirm the source of the sound, my initial emotions were fear and dread. Ironically, however, as these sounds transmitting from the North felt compositional, electronic, and akin to an experimental form of sound collage, I undoubtedly sensed a certain musicality in them. I briefly thought that perhaps enjoying this sound could be a way of striking back against the noise attack.
“But having recorded for just an hour or two a day for streaming, I realised I had no right to make such a claim. I had a splitting headache, and the sound kept ringing in my ears even after I returned home. I became convinced that hearing sounds expressing negative emotions – sharp timbres, explosions, howling – every single day would be an unbearably painful experience. Yet I cannot deny that this sound is simultaneously destructive and fascinating. These two incompatible emotions and my sense of ethics are constantly colliding.”
What’s your background in recording sound?
“I have been recording sound primarily for my personal projects. You could say I started recording to gather raw materials for my tracks. While this remains the main reason, the way I utilise these recorded sounds continues to evolve.”
Who/what/where inspires you to record?
“Beings and places I encounter for the very first time.”
If you could only ever record one more thing, what would it be?
“The sounds of my five-year-old cat at home. The noises she makes are incredibly delicate and diverse, but her volume is so quiet and she is highly unpredictable. Because of this, I don’t think I’ve ever managed to properly record her.”
Hee Ju Im’s bio:
Hee-ju explores methods of sensory connection through the medium of sound, and the conditions under which these connections are formed. Having studied Music at Goldsmiths, University of London, she is interested in tuning and experimenting with the boundaries where sound and the complement of sound intersect. She produces music under the moniker Vegetable Wife, releasing the EP [Inscrutable Sap] in 2024. Recently, she has been co-running 2bpencil.online, an independent server and web space, alongside Jae-hyung.
