Reading Old Dreams: Among You


2020
old stone structures, resin skulls with embedded LED lights
site-specific installation, dimension variable


The series Reading Old Dreams includes illuminated resin skulls and different types of stone structures: a marble bench with skin-colored amber stones scattered on top invites the viewer to sit next to the skull (Reading Old Dreams: Next to You); a site reminiscent of ancient ruins—with column parts, cannonballs, animal feeders, and lamp bases—invites the viewer to wander between flickering skulls (Reading Old Dreams: Among You); a pair of hand-carved stone chairs invite the viewer to sit with the skull face-to-face, while the smooth dents on the seats and backs of the chairs seem to remind one that someone has been there before (Reading Old Dream: Facing You).

Stones, which inhabited the earth billions of years before human beings arrived, have been shaped by geological processes, worn by weathering and erosion, and manipulated by human activities; they are the fossils of time itself. The stones in this series expand time far beyond the scope of individual life. They sit next to the glimmering skulls, whose light reminds us of our ancestors, of candles in the night, souls, and sealed dreams.

古梦:在你们中间


2020
古石构件,树脂,LED  
特定场地装置,尺寸可变


《古梦》由发光的人类头骨模型和形貌各异的石器构成:一张散落了肉色玛瑙的大理石长凳邀请观众与头骨并肩(《古梦:在你身边》);一组混合了柱墩、炮弹、食槽、灯座等石器的遗迹现场邀请观众徘徊在明灭不定的头骨之间(《古梦:在你中间》);一对手工凿刻的石椅邀请观众与头骨对视,座凳和椅背的光滑凹陷似在提示在此之间已有人到访(《古梦:在你对面》)


先于人类亿万年前来到地球的石头,先后历经了地质运动成型、风化海蚀磨损、人类活动的加工,是高度凝聚的时间化石。它们在作品里提供了一种远大于个体生命的时间尺度,与微微闪烁的头骨形成对照。后者内部的火光从颅缝溢出,让人想起祖先或曾目睹的夜烛、灵魂和被封印的梦。


























On view at A Slow Remembering of A Long Forgetting, BANK, Shanghai, China, 2020



Mark



Copyright © 2010-2024 Chen Zhe. All rights reserved.