Tag Archives: public art

Searching for the neighborhood
Research & intervention
Betonsalon, Paris, France
2010

In the beginning, I found out that the houses and flats in Paris usually do not have a door bell, but can only be entered using a security code. I developed the idea of getting into one typical building in the area of the 13th district. The aim was to get an overview of how does the neighborhood look like in this area. I firstly got contact with a gentleman who had moved into 13th district just 1 year ago. With the help of a translator from Betonsalon, I did an interview with him, asking questions such as: Do you know someone in this building? or Did you visit your neighbors sometimes? Through the talk, I found out that he knows little about his neighbors and has limited connections with other residents within this building. After this first try, I changed my strategy. Waiting in front of the entrance of the same building, I talked to random people and asked the same questions as above. The outcome is then diverse and interesting. I learned that there are few connections between people by reasons of children, safety and entertainments. But in general, I got an impression that this neighborhood showed a common phenomenon in France and even the whole Europe: people (especially young people) need more private in their spare time, they enjoy the time spend with their own family except some social events.
In the final exhibition in Betonsalon, I transferred these results into a wall of information collage. Writings, text, and drawings were integrated by hand-draw facade of the target building.

PS: From the short movie of Betonsalon, a man said: this is an area that designed from the facade, not from the interiors. As a result, People learn this area also from the fancy design of the buildings; they are led to ignore peoples emotion inside these giant boxes.

Santa

Hide & Seek

The Audio

Under the Shade
Interactive Performance & Video documentation
Berlin Germany
2012

Project under the shade is a site-specific performance piece, which was created at João Cocteau gallery during the culturia residency in Berlin. The project talks about how an object such as a plant becomes the extension of my body, which also considered as a barrier between myself and the others. By confronting passersby within the shade, I am actually addressing the personal space, but yet disguising my own identity. My research is focused mainly on the various reactions from the public and the different effects of the altered objects.

the closer
The artist tried to get close enough to the others by sitting or standing next to them. She picked up several locations such as bus stops, train stations, and park benches. In this way, she collected various reactions according to the changes of space and crowd. It is common that people define their territories by occupying the space with their gesture, movement, objects and their own body. What would happen if someone crosses the line?

the follower
By following people in the street, the artist is finding the way to prove her presence with people in the public sphere. She followed people that she meet on the street and follow them until they realize and turns around. This action is in a way threatening and violent gesture to intrude peoples personal space. The situation varies under different circumstances, such as a quiet street versus a busy square.

the queuer
The artist waited in a line in the post office and super market. She was standing backwards and gazing at the person next to her. This creates a face-to-face situation that she encounters the stranger in a quite offensive and rude manner.

the blocker
In the street, the artist tried to block peoples way on purpose to keep them as long as possible. In this way, she got quite diverse reactions from the people who involved in this action: some people remain calm by understanding the playfulness of the action itself, some got annoyed easily and used protective gestures pushing her away.

Mapping the self – Personal space across boundaries, territories and contexts
Interactive Performance & Video documentation
Weimar. Germany
2011

Mapping the self is a research-based artistic project in process. It is a journey of exploring the relationship between the self and the others. During the process, the artist did a series of interactive performances in terms of non-verbal communication in various public places around the city of Weimar. The aim of this project is to push the boundaries and explore the possibilities of artistic strategies that inject into our everyday life.

To Actions

Action 3: Personal Island
Wearing a handmade, island-like costume, the artist went inside of the river and walked as if she is a floating island. In a quieter part of the river, the riverbanks are totally closed off by local housing. The river here becomes private property as if it is the fancy backyard of a villa. The artist wants to visibly remark the sphere of individual field in the public space, comparing the expanding private realm into a questionable public space.
photos by Wang Mingchuan

Shortcut

Action 1: short cut
For this action, the artist dressed up as a traveler and walk through the river as if it were a normal street. The riverbank in the city center is separated into isolated spaces by massive use of private spaces and tourist business. The accesses to the river are limited for both visitors and locals. The artist was posing the question: Is it still a public space if they there is no free access? In this action the artist points out the problem by totally involving herself with the water equating it with total public space – with her own body.
photo by Loukas Bartatilas

Action 2: Robinson Island
The artist became the character of Robinson for one day; and lived on one of the small islands in the middle of the river. The island in the river is inaccessible; it can be appreciated only from a distance. It is the question of how could people use such space in public if it remains unreachable? Where is the boundary between private and public? Dose it become a private space if some individual occupies it with their life?