Flora Yin-Wong | Liturgy

Flora Yin-Wong

Liturgy

New York City, USA: Primary Information/PAN, 2021

120 pp., 4.31 x 7.12", softcover

Edition of 2200

Flora Yin-Wong is a young Chinese-Malaysian multidisciplinary producer and DJ who was born in London and has also lived in Hong Kong, Berlin, and Paris. Pitchfork described her music as "gorgeous ambient tones and textures that feel more composed than found." 

Yin-Wong's sonic art was introduced to a larger audience when it appeared on the influential ambient collection Mono No Aware, put out by the PAN label, founded by Bill Kouligas. 

PAN's stated goal is to release music by both "established pioneers like Rashad Becker, Trevor Wishart and Florian Hecker" and "emerging talents such as Pan Daijing, M.E.S.H. and Yves Tumor." In addition to experimental musicians, the label is also home to conceptual artists, such as Mark Leckey. 

This mandate of publishing both emerging and established artists - as well as cross-disciplinary works - is akin to what James Hoff does with Primary Information. Hoff also releases his own recordings on PAN, making this project a collaboration between three interconnected artists, two of whom are also publishers. 

Liturgy is Yin-Wong's first book, released in between reissues of classic works by Dan Graham and Dara Birnbaum (which just arrived in the mail the other day). The slim volume is divided into eight chapters: Rituals & Fire; Omens; Hexagrams / Oracles; Curses; Gods & Creatures; Places Doors to Hell / Ghost Cities; Paradoxes; Sound Phenomena; and Reality. These provide a deceptive structure for a title that functions more like a fragmented constellation. 

Folklore and superstition intermingle with their contemporary counterparts, such as conspiracy theories and urban legends. There are stories of voodoo dolls, meditation, parallel universes, and paranormal phenomenon (including the artist's own form of second sight, which she discovered as a young child).  Historical information is often recounted second or third-hand, with the artist exploring the blurred lines between fact and fiction, memory and truth. 

Originally intended as a companion of sorts to her 2020 album Holy Palm (with track titles and concepts from the LP references throughout the text), Liturgy functions as a stand alone artist book for those unfamiliar with her music. 

The book is available from Primary Information, here, for $16.00 US. 

MARIANA BEREZOVSKA: And what about the book, I read you were releasing it with PAN?  

FLORA YIN-WONG: Yeah, the book is already done. Primary Information will publish it. They are based in NY. James Hoff runs it, and he also releases on PAN, which will be the collaboration between all of us. We’ve got some really interesting graphic designers who are working on the project so it will be really nice. 

MARIANA BEREZOVSKA: Is it a diaristic book? Is it kind of a diary the way the album is as well — the memories, some reflections? 

FLORA YIN-WONG: I try to explore the links between reality and unreality and what that means, so it’s like memories, then memories of memories and false memories, stories and fake mythologies. It merges all these layered topics, and I guess they all seem based around things like spirituality to mental illness even, psychology. I have some very personal stories, also traumatic experiences that were released right in the book. 

MARIANA BEREZOVSKA: That’s cool because music can be much more abstract in this way. And the book is a big statement. It’s a big confession. 

FLORA YIN-WONG: Yeah, it is going to be very personal. Again I feel weird with it being written down, but I think it’s good to do that. 

MARIANA BEREZOVSKA: Were you also writing it when you were travelling or after you came back?

FLORA YIN-WONG: Both. But some of the things are really from my whole life. I’ve always collected and written down some things. I just thought I wouldn’t do anything with them. 

- En Tight Media