'Magnetic Guangzhou' is a Chinese remake of our previous installation 'Shit I forgot the iPod', commissioned by the British Council for the exhibition Get It Louder 2007, which tours the cities of Guangzhou, Shanghai, Beijing and Chendu.

As with 'Shit! I forgot the iPod!', 'Magnetic Guangzhou' is an electromagnetic environment specially created for the electroprobes. The installation presents a chaotic assemblage of electric/electronic objects typically associated with 'Made In China'.

All the objects have been found in Guangzhou's numerous wholesale markets and are guaranteed genuine. Contrary to our original installation, 'Magnetic Guangzhou' contains a 'new' version of the famous U2 iPod, which comes completed with a speaker and a 2 million pixels camera on the back. We also integrated the famous 'Scny Erricscn' mobile phone.

‘The inherent order behind this chaotic assemblage is revealed by the electroprobes. The various objects are arranged by their electromagnetic tunes in order to create a magnetic soundscape that the user is able to hear with the probes. We wanted to reveal the invisible reality of the electrosmog created by the objects, while creating an alternative taxonomy of the objects in an apparently chaotic sound organ.

The objects have all been chosen according to two different qualities: their relevance to the Chinese contemporary culture (hence the number of neons and blinking gadgets) and their sonic qualities. 'Magnetic Guangzhou' aims to celebrate these mundane objects, and playfully expose their striking creativity.