September 4, 2025 • 8 mins
CHONG Li-Chuan (Singapore)
“On any given day” (2025)
On any given day, a city hums with the sounds of its own forgetting, Hong Lim Complex, once a site of forced separations and uncertain fates, now stands absorbed into daily life. In 1942, it bore witness to selections that determined who would walk free and who would disappear. Given by whom? Taken from whom?
In CHONG Li-Chuan’s “On any given day” (2025), a soundscape composition drawn from field recordings at Hong Lim Complex, history and the present converge through listening. The act of composition is an excavation — unearthing traces of a site repurposed and redeveloped. His grandfather’s story of a naive escape from death lingers within the work, folded into the city’s soundscape. We are the inheritors of those who survived. To hear is to resist forgetting. To sound is to remember those who have given us the day.
CHONG Li-Chuan (b.1975)
is a Singaporean composer passionate about philosophy, culture and the arts. Li-Chuan's career in music and sound started in the late '90s, working as a composer and sound artist collaborating with practitioners in theatre, dance, spoken word, architecture, filmmaking, design and visual art. His creative output includes music composition, sound design, field recording, soundscape composition, site-specific art, installation, free improvisation, and collaborative work exploring conversations between different modes of expression and the poetics of sound.
“On any given day” (2025)
On any given day, a city hums with the sounds of its own forgetting, Hong Lim Complex, once a site of forced separations and uncertain fates, now stands absorbed into daily life. In 1942, it bore witness to selections that determined who would walk free and who would disappear. Given by whom? Taken from whom?
In CHONG Li-Chuan’s “On any given day” (2025), a soundscape composition drawn from field recordings at Hong Lim Complex, history and the present converge through listening. The act of composition is an excavation — unearthing traces of a site repurposed and redeveloped. His grandfather’s story of a naive escape from death lingers within the work, folded into the city’s soundscape. We are the inheritors of those who survived. To hear is to resist forgetting. To sound is to remember those who have given us the day.
CHONG Li-Chuan (b.1975)
is a Singaporean composer passionate about philosophy, culture and the arts. Li-Chuan's career in music and sound started in the late '90s, working as a composer and sound artist collaborating with practitioners in theatre, dance, spoken word, architecture, filmmaking, design and visual art. His creative output includes music composition, sound design, field recording, soundscape composition, site-specific art, installation, free improvisation, and collaborative work exploring conversations between different modes of expression and the poetics of sound.
Mark as Played
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
The Herd with Colin Cowherd
The Herd with Colin Cowherd is a thought-provoking, opinionated, and topic-driven journey through the top sports stories of the day.