Overview
《Three Soundworks for Tea, “靜韻茶樂, Quiet Measure”》 is a release comprising three long-form sound works, issued on 17 April 2026. It begins with the Joseon-era concept of ye-ak (禮樂), the interrelated practice of ritual propriety and music, and reconsiders the spirit of da-ak (茶樂)—music associated with the practice of tea—through a contemporary sound language.
Within the thinking of ye-ak, music was not understood solely as a means of heightening emotion. It could also regulate the disposition of body and mind and bring order to the rhythms of everyday life. This perspective becomes tangible in the daily ritual of preparing and drinking tea: ritual composes one’s conduct, while music reveals harmony through the passage of time. From this position, music is treated less as a self-contained object of attention than as a passing impression—something that permeates its surroundings and subtly adjusts their state.
Rather than reconstructing the historical form or outward appearance of da-ak, the release attends to the disposition it suggests: restraint over display, and balance and harmony over dramatic expression. Its three works collectively span approximately forty minutes, following the duration of a tea session. Each piece incorporates samples of a different Korean instrument—pyeongyeong, gayageum, and tungso—alongside synthesizer material. The sampled instruments and electronic sounds are processed within the same sonic layers so that their distinct timbres gather into a shared texture. The intention is not to place tradition on the surface, nor to separate past from present, but to reactivate an earlier attitude toward music within a contemporary listening environment.
The three works are designed for sequential listening as a single extended breath rather than as isolated tracks. They avoid dramatic progression and chains of discrete events. Instead, volume, density, the length of reverberation, repetition, and minute variation become the principal materials. The listener is invited to attend less to narrative or fixed meaning than to subtle shifts of density and balance unfolding through time.
The release was extended into the separately curated and operated exhibition 《靜, Three Soundworks for Tea》 at Curated Columns, Seoul.
With thanks to Song Gideuk, Byun Jaehee, Sosul Oh Youngsoon, Leedo Yoo Chulsang, Gyeokcha Moun, the members of Haktan Arts Society, and Lee Jooyeon and Park Chaeyoung of Curated Columns for their inspiration and support throughout the project.
