Sip of Zen reimagines the social drinking experience by transforming the familiar clink of glasses into a shared moment of active listening and calm. While glass clinking traditionally symbolises hospitality, modern nightlife often drowns out connection with overwhelming volume and scattered attention. Sip of Zen counters this by blending the social energy of a cocktail bar with the stillness of a Zen temple. Inspired by the resonant chime of glasses in a bar, a lingering tone that echoes the mesmerising hum of a singing bowl, it seeks to reclaim the subjectivity of sound in social gatherings.
At the core of the experience is a custom feedback mechanism. A microphone picks up the natural resonance of the glass, while the turntable’s micro-vibration sustains the tone, acting like a vibrato effect. Simply placing the glass on the turntable triggers the sound. As a group of friends lifts and sets down their drinks, the overlapping frequencies merge into a collective, single-bowl experience, creating a live, evolving soundscape shaped by their interactions.
Guided by the artist's philosophy, “Sound Unfollows Function”, the installation builds on previous works (“WAVE”, “UAED”) to show how sound embedded within everyday objects can fundamentally redesign human interaction.
Chaklam Ng is a Hong Kong-based sound artist, musical instrument designer, and founder of Oblik Soundwork. His practice interrogates the phenomenology of sound-making, investigating the nature of intention through site-responsive sound installations and custom-invented instruments.
Rooted in communication design, his work is driven by the philosophy “Sound Unfollows Function”. Operating at the intersection of observation and accident, Ng designs interfaces where physical form deliberately resists utility. Following over a decade of exploring conventional instruments, he established a central premise: profound sound emerges when an instrument resists the player, revealing organic harmony through friction and confrontation. Defined by minimalist, polished stainless steel and glass, his sculptural installations maintain a spatial calm that foregrounds the auditory experience.
Ng’s interactive works frequently adapt mechanics from sports and games, transforming familiar physical gestures into unpredictable sonic landscapes. By dissolving the expected feedback loop between human movement and sound, his installations embrace what he terms “beautiful accidents”, inviting audiences to shift from passive hearing to active listening.
Selected exhibitions and performances include Shadow Work at Art Central (2026), The Club at Unfold X 2025 (South Korea), deTour 2024, Design Trust Futures Festival 2025, Art.Techs 2022, and PRP 2.0 at Clockenflap 2023. His work has been featured in international media, including Designboom, Dezeen, and NME.
11:00–15:00 (20/11)
11:00–20:00 (21–29/11)
11:00–15:00 (20/11)
11:00–20:00 (21–29/11)