An Aberdeen University lecturer is asking locals to get humming for an unusual sound project.
Dr Suk-Jun Kim collected Aberdeen residents’ hums over the summer and is now looking for more local tunes before his project gets under way on November 14.
Korean-born Dr Kim, who has been teaching at the university since January, said: “When I asked people to hum, at the time they were extremely shy.
“Humming is quite an intimate act. You never hum a tune to a stranger, you usually hum to yourself or someone close to you.”
Dr Kim has exhibited humming projects in Berlin and New Mexico.
“The original idea came about when I was in Berlin in 2009,” he said. “I started collecting people’s hums not knowing what I was getting into especially.
“I asked to have a song that would remind you of childhood, in Berlin they hummed tunes composed by Beethoven or Bach.”
In Aberdeen, the experience was slightly less familiar. “Since I don’t come from Scotland, I couldn’t recognise the tunes,” he said. “This is a really good way to get to know people in a place and an interesting way to know the place.”
Dr Kim set up a Humming Booth at Belmont Street’s Seventeen during the summer to collect the hums. The arts centre is also where his sound installation will be exhibited.
“Not everyone has a happy childhood,” he said.
“Whenever you hum a tune from a memory, there’s a warm feeling.
“I have that kind of feeling when I’m collecting these hums. I usually make this installation and play these tunes at a really low volume, so when people walk by they recognise someone is humming.”
The exhibition will run at Seventeen from November 14 to 30.
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