Inter-Asian Berlin Anthology

Lorin Chow Roser

A very early (single-digit) Otis elevator from the early 1900s, excavated from the basement of the artist-owned alternative arts space Gallery Aferro at 73 Market Street in Newark, New Jersey. An earlier iteration of Lorin Chow Roser’s Berlin Harmonika featured in this vintage elevator installation as part of the exhibition Elevator Music 2, a continuous loop of experimental sound art curated by Spencer Frohwirth from 5 September 2015 to 1 July 2016. The elevator was cleaned, refurbished, and outfitted with a motion-sensor-activated media player. As guests entered the elevator, audio works were activated, transforming the vertical shaft into a sonic portal to unexpected destinations.

Julianne Chua Could you tell us about this work?

Lorin Chow Roser I adapted this work with a remix. It was inspired by Kraftwerk and uses a Buchla-style harmonic oscillator. I ran the original through glitch pedals.

From my German roots, I found liberty in creating imagery within the dynamic modernism of Berlin. I felt the metaphysical sounds and forms of the surrealist within me while creating dystopian works. I refer to my early memories of the Berlin Philharmonic architecture. They influenced my Berlin Harmonika composition, which is an explosive journey of sounds. Seeing Hans Uhlmann’s live works inspired my early impressions of spatial creations that jolted my Asianness. Hans Scharoun’s architecture evoked an oscillation of sound and futuristic performance in me.

JC What brought you to Berlin and when?

LCR 1951. My dad was an American diplomat stationed there.

JC Could you expand on your early memories of the Berlin Philharmonic architecture and the connections between particular architectural features and your own sonic compositions?

LCR Came across the design studying architecture at Princeton in the late ’60s. The surround nature of the design, along with its futuristic style, has close parallels with my musical compositions, which are expanding into mixtures of acoustic instruments and analog synthesizers in Dolby Atmos 7.14 Surround.

JC Why did you choose to work with remix, glitch or a Buchla-style oscillator?

LCR Loved the work of Morton Subotnick. Collaborated with the Australian performance artist Stelarc on his piece Rewired/Remixed. Love the aleatoric delights of glitch.

JC You also mentioned Hans Uhlmann’s works. Do you recall details of where and when? In what ways did it “(jolt) your Asianness”? I’m also curious how your relationship with “Asianness” shifted across the US and Germany, or from the perspective of a child and returning later in life, across both space and time.

LCR My mom studied with Uhlmann in Berlin. When I returned to the States, my English had a German accent.

Lorin Chow Roser is a Chinese German American 3D video media artist whose work espouses Asian Futurism with architectonic insights and digital modes, offering spatial compositions of futuristic forms through a blend of soundscapes and cybernetics. Roser studied architecture at Princeton University and earned an MA at UCLA. His work has been shown at the New Museum, New York Public Library, Gallery 456, WhiteBox, Lightbox, and The Wrong Biennale. He was recently part of Boiler Room’s Eastern Margins: Respect Our Elders performance showcase and Pixelated Dreams at Accent Sisters. Roser works in partnership with art director Nina Kuo.