A Pool, a Group of Koi, Knocking
Bamboo and mixed media installation, sound, and performance
“Politics” is like the simultaneous growing process of ivies climbing within behavior and thoughts, accompanying and forming an individual into some particular gesture, living. This is what I discover and understand from the relation of “political decision” to my personal life.
And between “politics” and “life” exist active and passive relations regarding cognition. In general cognition, there is no direct connection between the two. There must be some intermediary so that the relations are mediated and linked. And I think such intermediary might be an issue or one’s “choice” and “consciousness”. Without any intermediary to open up, the two are separated by a screen that is visible yet impossible to touch, making it difficult to make direct or deep connections.
The question “How / Are We / Conscious of History?” as the reality of the exhibit site and works itself, hang on the high top of the atrium in City Council. The question is also the intermediary that I connect the current situation of the city council and local history.
In the first part of the performance, I gently move through under the present time and installation, then take the body movement as the avatar of the consciousness. When I step into the pond, my body and swimming koi become different aspects of responding to reality in the works, we sometimes standoff, sometimes insight each other, and sometimes ignore each other. In the last part of the performance, I juxtapose live playback of hydrophone, narration, and parliament sound field to express a conscious state of backtracking the historical clue process.
The performance intervened in three different worlds in the space of the pool and the atrium, existing above and under the water as well as on the water’s surface that, and to link them. It is also a metaphor of the co-existence of humans, politics, and life as linked together and implied by one another.
This is an on-site produce works in Tainan City Council (Minji Council Room)
一池水、一群錦鯉、敲
竹管裝置、雷射切割、聲音、行為 | 2018
「政治」像攀爬在行為、思想中的藤蔓,同步生命的成長過程,並伴著、塑著使人長成某種特有姿態,生活著。這是我理解到「政治決定」之於個人生活之間的覺察。
而「政治」與「生活」之間,存在著主動與被動的認知關係。在普遍的認知下,兩者沒有直接的連結,他們之間必須有中介者的出現,才會被疏通並串起關係。而這個中介,我想可能是一個議題或是人的「選擇」和人的「意識」。一旦沒有中介的打開,兩者就像隔著一層可視卻不可觸的頻幕,難有直接或深刻的連結。
「我們/如何/意識歷史?」的提問作為此作品及展覽場域的現實,高置於議事廳天井空間的頂部。此提問亦是我連結場域現狀與地方歷史的中介。在作品演出的前段,我用身體行為作為意識的化身,在當下時間與空間裝置間緩緩行進。當我走進水池時,身體與水池中游動的錦鯉成為一同回應現實的不同面。在時間中我們時而對峙、時而相互關照也時而漠視彼此。演出的後段,透過水下麥克風的聲音回放、口白、議會聲場等聲音元素交互並置,呈現回探空間歷史線索過程的意識狀態。
現場的演出介入水上、水下、水面三個不同的世界,使三者產生連動。也隱喻著人、政治、生活相互牽連的共生生態。
此作品為臺南市議會民治議事廳現地製作作品。
A Pool, A Shoal of Koi, Knocking (Video version)
On-Channel Video | 20'09" | 2021
一池水、一群錦鯉、敲
單頻立體聲錄像 | 20分09秒 | 2021
Photo by Chaong Wen Ting