Bio - Harry Yeff

Harry Yeff aka Reeps100 is a London born neuro-divergent artist and technologist specializing in voice, A.I. and tech-based performance art. Yeff has been visualizing the voice for over 15 years and is globally celebrated as a leader in a new wave of voice technology focused experimentation. He continues to build on his world-class skillset utilizing an almost inhuman vocal range to drive his works. His performative installations and machine-like vocal control have amassed a global following, rendering over 100 million views online.

Yeff rose to fame as arguably one the greatest beatboxers of all time, his almost inhuman vocal ability opened up a slew of voice, technology and academic collaborations. To this day he continues to build on a world-class skill set, specialising in voice and tech-based performance. His role as an ambassador for art, technology and voice, is highlighted by a global lecture portfolio with notable talks on creativity, the arts and innovation at Google Exec, Davos, United Nations, SXSW, Art Basel Hong Kong, Glastonbury Pyramid Stage and Nike Global.

Yeff harnesses innovative technologies to enhance his creative process and artistic expansion, as demonstrated in his work “Second Self” whereby Yeff’s expression augmented in response to his Second Self’s ability to create new vocal expression. In his latest work and meditation VOICE GEMS, Yeff not only preserves some of the most precious, extraordinary and critically endangered voices on earth, but envisions the future of connection and vocal expression at the center of emerging technologies.

He has completed three artist residencies at Harvard University, is a culture leader at The World Economic Forum, and has followed in the footsteps of John Cage and Rauschenberg by joining the legendary Experiments in Art and Technology program at Bell Labs. His multidisciplinary new-media spectacles and theory have established artist in residence roles Factory Berlin and Sonar Barcelona. In 2020 Yeff won the Arts and Science Breakthrough with the Falling Walls Foundation for his ongoing portfolio of cutting edge voice and technology experimentation.

Yeff has exhibited internationally, from the Museum of Art and Design in New York to the Tate Britain in London, as well as Milan, London and Tokyo Design weeks, SXSW, Miami Art Basel, Davos, United Nations Geneva and Sundance film festival.  He has  talked and performed at the TED Countdown Summit, directed the world's first A.I-driven International Ballet in collaboration with Leipzig Opera House, performed a human and machine collaboration work at TIME Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in A.I. event (2024) at the Museum of the Future in Dubai, and collaborated with the Scottish Ballet exploring grief and goodbye in the age of AI and digital memory (‘Liminal Grief’) amongst more. 

In 2021 Yeff was appointed as the executive curator of the A.I. Visionary Initiative for the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), part of the United Nations agency for Information & Communication Technologies.  

In 2024 Yeff’s R100 Studio held its first residency.

https://reeps100.com/about

Bio - Trung Bao

Trung Bảo Nguyễn is a multidisciplinary Vietnamese artist and leading vocal experimentalist. He is also the founder of Fustic.Studio, an acclaimed Hanoi-based creative studio.  His work resides at the dynamic crossroads of technology and art, where sound intertwines with imagery.

Trung Bao possesses an extraordinary vocal range, pushing the boundaries of human vocal expression. He achieved a significant milestone as the first Vietnamese participant, winner, and esteemed jury member in prominent international vocal experimentation events. Collecting and assimilating vocal techniques from diverse cultures worldwide, Trung Bao has cultivated a wealth of knowledge and expertise. Inspired by his native Vietnamese language, he has developed distinct sounds and techniques that have gained wide recognition and are frequently performed in the realm of vocal experimentation. Notably, his mastery of oral percussion and captivating performances have garnered a substantial online following, surpassing 80 million views, solidifying his position as a pioneering figure in the realm of experimental vocalism.

In 2018, Trung Bao collaborated with acclaimed world-music guitarist Nguyen Le, Vietnamese traditional multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Ngo Hong Quang to create the groundbreaking "Overseas" concert. This unique musical experience blended Vietnamese traditions with jazz, rock, hip-hop, reggae, and electronica. It premiered at the Musée des Confluences in Lyon, France, and later wowed audiences in Berlin, Germany, and Vietnam's top venues. Trung Bao and Ngo Hong Quang also collaborated on "Nam Nhi," a remarkable fusion of Quan Họ music, classical strings, and hip-hop elements, showcasing Trung Bao's vocal percussion.

Drawing upon his lifelong fascination with the human voice, Trung Bao embarked on a journey to delve into its creative potential through technology and design. Notably, he partnered with UK contemporary artist Reeps100 to conceive a remarkable 200,000-particle system that utilizes the distinctive vocal characteristics of individuals to generate digital gemstones and physical sculptures. This ambitious undertaking seeks to explore how to hold a voice and turn it from a smoke-like state into something tangible that can be digitally preserved for the next millennium. Together with Reeps100, Trung Bao curated the 1000-Year VOICE GEMS ARCHIVE, amassing Earth's most unique, remarkable, and vulnerable voices. Voice Gems highlighted contributors from 2022 - 2023 include Ai Wei Wei, Dr. Jane Goodall, Sir Geoff Hurst, Herbert W. Franke, Sadhguru, Felipe Pantone, Sougwen Chung, Reggie Watts, Kenny Schachter. The Archive encompasses vocal phenomena, extending its scope to include AI synthetic voices, the voices of critically endangered species, and institutional collaborations with esteemed entities such as The World Economic Forum for the Messages of Hope exhibition premiered at Davos 2022, Koenig Gallery, Francisco Carolinum Linz, Ben Mirin of National Geographic, and The Berggruen Institute. 

Recognizing his innovative artistic practice and his relentless exploration of vocal expression, Trung Bao was honored with inclusion in Forbes' prestigious 30 under 30 Vietnam list in 2020.

Synopsis

VOICE GEMS: 1000 YEAR ARCHIVE is a generative system and voice archive designed by award-winning artists and technologists Harry Yeff (Reeps One) and Trung Bao. Two artists collecting Earth’s most unique, remarkable and most vulnerable voices for the 1000 Year VOICE GEMS ARCHIVE. The 200 000 particle system harnesses the fingerprint-like features found in the human voice to generate digital one of a kind gemstones and physical sculpture. The project activity collects new works and researches how such artefacts can utilise digital preservation for the next 1000 years.

The Archive also collects vocal phenomena, expanding to AI synthetic voices and the voices of critically endangered species, and institutional collaborations with The World Economic Forum Messages of Hope collection, Koenig Gallery, Francisco Carolinum Linz, Ben Mirin of National Geographic and The Berggruen Institute.

Harry Yeff and Trung Bao are two of the world's leading vocal experimentalists today, both utilising an almost inhuman vocal range. As artists they have collected hundreds of vocal techniques from around the world, which informs their knowledge and deep appreciation of the incredible nuance that VOICE GEMS capture.

Their voice-centred performance and artworks have generated a global following amassing over 100 000 000 views and global portfolio of arts and institutional partners. Exhibiting VOICE GEMS at Miami Art Basel 2022, Davos 2022, PROOF OF ART Francisco Carolinum in Linz.

Harry Yeff & Trung Bao VOICE GEMS: Voice Megastructures 

These behemoth voice structures are generated from 100’s of collected voices colouring and sculpting every detail of the form. The sculptures can be generated from a curated set of global voices addressing a specific theme, or voice data sourced by a geolocation or local radius. Voice Gems will always be a project for large scale physical exhibition, using any means necessary to explore, preserve and illuminate the human voice.