The Atelier @ Theaterlab:
Presented by CHAOSPACE
Controlled Chaotic – 5
Written and Directed by Shinya Lin
Featuring elekhlekha (Kengchakaj, Nitcha), Shinya Lin, Foo Jeng Wong, and Jonathan Collazo
Controlled Chaotic is an electroacoustic performing series curated by Shinya Lin that aims to explore the creative potential of combining chaotic and controlled elements in music. This series brings together musicians, sound artists, and composers who incorporate electronic and acoustic instruments, and whose works feature a balance of structured and improvised soundscapes.
MEET THE ARTISTS
elekhlekha อีเหละเขละขละ is a collaborative research-based group consisting of immigrant Bangkok-born, Brooklyn-based artists, Kengchakaj–เก่งฉกาจ and Nitcha–ณิชชา. They delve into subversive storytelling by exploring non-hegemonic sounds and visual archives, historical research, and unlearning biases. elekhlekha’s work spans performing documents, multimedia, and technology centers to interrogate, experiment, and define decolonized possibilities.
elekhlekha has received support from Babycastles, Culturehub, NEW INC, Rhizome, Processing Foundation, Eyebeam, etc. In 2022, they were awarded The Lumen Prize Gold Award for their debut project, Jitr (จิตร), a performative audio-visual that utilizes historical research, Southeast Asian sound cultures, and live coding tools to reconcile Southeast Asia’s shared heritage. elekhlekha is currently a NEW INC Y11 member.
MORAKANA is a New York City-based studio founded by Tiri Kananuruk (Thailand) and Sebastián Morales Prado (Mexico). Our work is characterized by scientific and artistic inquiry, development of custom tools, and experimentation. By leveraging scientific principles and challenging the role of technology in our lives, MORAKANA invites us to think critically about plausible means for Nature to reclaim the physical and digital ecosystems we are part of.
Shinya Lin is a performer, composer, and improvisor. He is also a co-founder of Chaospace, a community that supports the curation of Asian artists in New York City. Shinya’s musical style encompasses various genres, including new music, jazz, improvisation, and electroacoustic music. He focuses on composing and playing the piano, prepared piano, and electronics, drawing inspiration from artists such as John Cage and Cecil Taylor. He believes in embracing whatever comes as a consequence of life and finding enjoyment in exploring the soundscape informed by life and nature. Shinya places great emphasis on “being present” in his music, as it is inseparable from ordinary life. He believes that music brings people together internally, leading to a realization of life’s purpose. In 2024, Shinya was selected as one of five artists for the Museum of Chinese in America’s Performing Artist-In-Residence Program.
Wong Foo Jeng is a Malaysian composer and pianist whose music incorporates elements of contemporary composition, improvisation, and electro-acoustics. He is the winner of the El Paso Original Music/New Ideas Competition and a finalist of the American Prize in Composition. His music has been presented by the New Thread Quartet, Rasp.LA, New Chamber Ballet, Clark Art Institute, Ilham Gallery, ArtsBasel, Yarn/Wire Institute, ArtsBasel, and St Petersburg International New Music Festival. As a performer, he’s been featured as a pianist at National Sawdust, OPERA America, DiMenna Center, Scholes Street Studio, Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Center, Time Is Art Festival, and the Borneo Jazz Festival.
New York based percussionist Jonathan Collazo has worked with a diverse array of artists such as Valery Gergiev, Natalie Merchant, Sō Percussion, Maria Schneider, and Tan Dun. He has performed in venues on four continents, collaborated on hundreds of new and rediscovered works involving percussion, and has composed scores of acoustic and electronic music. Jonathan was a student of Sō Percussion and Jason Haaheim at the Bard Conservatory of Music and a student of John Ferrari and David Cossin at the Manhattan School of Music. He is currently a percussion fellow at the Bard Conservatory and in growing demand within the New York contemporary music scene.
COVID-19 policy: In guidance with the city and state COVID-19 policies, we will no longer be requiring masks, but strongly recommend them.