A few months ago, Imogen was offered an artist-in-residency in Hangzhou, China. Being the adventuresome traveler she is, she accepted the offer and went to Hangzhou for a few weeks. She wanted to make a song out of the trip, but didn’t want to end up in the studio all day. So she created the HeapSong5 project based around the idea of going out on one day (her birthday!) and recording twenty four happenings throughout the city of Hangzhou (one for each hour of the day) and using the sounds to make a song! Amazing, huh? She explains all the sounds in the “Xizi’s Bits” mp3 that’s in the bundle. I may upload it in a week or so, just for those of you who didn’t buy the bundle (which you all should!) By the way, “Xizi” (pronounced “shee-soo”) is the name of a lake in Hangzhou as detailed in the audio blog Imogen made here.

Imogen has detailed in blogs that she was offered to make Hangzhou an annual trip, but said it was improbable seeing her busy schedule. She did say that she definitely felt she wasn’t done in Hangzhou, and would return. She has an idea for a film project that goes along with “Xizi She Knows” in that she wants to document the city. She wants to take footage of the city’s growth over five years, and eventually release a film showing how the city essentially is springing up from the ground at an amazing speed. She said she’d even write a score for the movie that the Hangzhou Orchestra would play!

I really recommend reading her blog and buying the Xizi bundle to hear the Bits mp3 to get an even more in-depth look at Hangzhou & Xizi!