Who is Monica Lim?
I’m a composer and sound artist who is obsessed with finding new or unusual ways to make music and rethinking our relationship with sound. I have FOMO about new tech, but also how it relates to old tech like the piano or human voice. I’m also a mum to two adult children, who have totally different musical tastes, much to my bitter disappointment.
What would you do differently from what you do now?
Absolutely nothing. I actually came back to music after doing a lot of other things in life, so where I am now is completely a choice. I don’t consider making music work at all, but a privilege and a luxury.
Who inspires you and why?
The people who are super busy but still find the time to contribute back to the community. I’ve been lucky enough to meet a few of them along the way. People like Robin Fox who co-founded the Melbourne Electronic Sound Studio, Rianto who founded Rumah Lengger and Serayu Festival in Indonesia, my partner Konfir. They build something that is beyond themselves, and they never say that they are too busy even though they are. They just somehow make the time and make the effort.
What would you do to make a difference in the world?
I feel like we only know what difference we make in retrospect. The tiniest action now could have a huge impact in the future. Something we think is so amazing today could turn out to be completely inconsequential. The only thing I can do is to keep making the art that I want to do without too much compromise, to try and share whatever knowledge I have, and to try and support other people to do the same.
Favourite holiday destination and why?
Aaah, I’m an Asian cliché, so I hate sun and beaches but absolutely prioritise good food. Which means that I love Japan! And also Malaysia, and Hong Kong, and Thailand!
When friends come to town, what attraction would you take them to, and why?
I always love the drive down the Great Ocean Road, it shows some of the wildness and grandeur of the Australian coast. I think Melbourne is a great event city as well, so usually there is something amazing on such as the Now or Never Festival or Rising. We always have wonderful musical and theatre productions too. For food, oysters at the South Melbourne Market. And the Peninsula Hot Springs is a wonderful day trip in the colder months.
What are you currently reading?
I used to read so much when I was young and somehow fell out of the habit (and time!) of reading for the sake of reading. I have a huge backlog of research articles on sound and tech that I need to get through – very boring stuff! I’ve been meaning to read House of Leaves by Mark Danielewski, so if I ever find myself marooned on a beach or cruise ship one day that is what I’ll do.
What are you currently listening to?
I’m currently obsessed by Tristan Perich’s 1-Bit Symphony. It’s a composition that is not pre-recorded, it’s very low-level computer code that fits on a single microchip and gets converted to sound. It absolutely ticks every box for me – playful, clever, musical, conceptual.
Happiness is?
Having a good meal with the whole family.
What does the future hold for you?
I am currently making preparations for OzAsia Festival in Adelaide. It’s a work called Opera For The Dead, and it’s a cyber-immersive-music-animation-performance-installation with Mindy Meng Wang centred around Chinese funeral rituals and mourning. We premiered it in Melbourne for AsiaTOPA and are really looking forward to presenting it around the country.
Monica’s work, Opera for the Dead, will be presented at The Odeon Theatre, Norwood (Adelaide), as part of the 2025 OzAsia Festival, from 5 – 6 November. For more information, visit: www.ozasia.adelaidefestivalcentre.com.au for details.
Image: Monica Lim – photo by Eamon Donnelly