HIGHLIGHTS
¡°Superreversal¡±: Plan for the Jianghu April Exhibition
[Birth of post-narratology]
(by Luo Fei)
I¡¢ Exhibition subject: Supperreversal
II¡¢ Locus:ALAB art space
III¡¢ Date:20:30 14 May 2005
IV¡¢ Constitutor:ALAB art space and lijiangstudio
V¡¢ Curator: Luo Fei
VI¡¢ Artists:
Xiang Weixing,He Libin&Yao Qingsheng,Guo Peng, Duskin Drum(USA), Andrea Stelzner(Germany), Jay Brown(USA), I.M.Iyon(USA),Xiao Xunlin,Zhao Qingming,Mu Yuming,Yang Jihui,Lin Shanwen,Yan Lingxiao, Luo Fei, Yew Leong Lee(Singapore), Jean-Gabriel P¨¦riot(France), Lang¨¢s Kenneth(Norway),Sun Guojuan&Lei Yan,Jiang Jing,Lu Biao, Yin Wen, Jiang Jing,Liu Kai.
VII¡¢ Exhibition subject paraphrase:
I) The idea behind supperreversal:
Jianghu, by way of the previous three exhibitions, will have expanded both art and the ways in which art can be displayed; it will have produced an interactive style of cooperation with the audience; and thus we will have established within Yunnan¡¯s local community a widespread influence. The work of Jianghu artists unfolds through coercive, high-pressure methods. For this (April) exhibition, we will enter a closed space (ALAB), and through powerfully restrictive (i.e., Reversed), physical requirements, engage bodily in new experiences of how we conceive of time. It is my aim here that everyone may make use of Reversal as a conceptual frame for expression (or narration) and thus open a new round of exploration. In all sincerity, I hope that each participating artist will do his or her best to create within this ephemeral exhibition space a set of excellent works whose quality transcends the artificial boundaries of the Supperreversal framework in which they are presented.
II) Supperreversal requirements for participating artists:
A) During the exhibition, all artists¡¯ behavior and actions must be completed in reverse order. The Reversal Principle: Within the scope of our rights and our respective work, all aspects relating to time and action must be given the appearance of having been reversed (¡®appearance¡¯ because organic, or natural, principles cannot themselves be reversed).
B) All artists, prior to 30 Apirl 2005, must submit rough proposals of their pieces.
C) Proposal Materials:
1) Each participant must submit plans for at least three performance pieces; content is unrestricted; form is restricted only by the aforementioned requirements or Reversal. Said pieces are to be prepared for exhibition during the Drum-Flower activity (see below for details).
2) Submissions may also include one or more audio/visual pieces (not necessarily related to the performance pieces described above). Visual pieces may be in DVD format; audio pieces may be digital or otherwise (note of course that chicks dig vinyl). Said materials must be submitted by 30 April 2005 to allow for proper organization by the exhibition manager. Please be sure to have reversed the content of your work before submission.
3) Media choice for any additional submissions is left to the discretion of the artist.
III) Event Design:
A) Specific locations for static work may be selected on a first come first serve basis.
B) On the day of the event, at precisely 8.30pm, the exhibition hall¡¯s main door will be shut and the lights turned on. There will be a television set outside the hall broadcasting the events transpiring within the hall live.
C) The event will be concluded by the exhibition manager reading, in reverse order, a concluding statement.
D) Music for the event will be comprised of climactic-style songs familiar to both Chinese and foreign listeners; the songs, of course, will be played in reverse.
E) Performance pieces will be carried out in a fashion following the Drum-Flower format. Artists will be seated round a large table; they will blithely pass between themselves a vase of flowers; behind them will be another few persons playing drums; when the rhythm halts, the artist holding the flowers must perform one of his or her prepared pieces. Note: those who cannot attend in person this activity may be represented at the table by the appropriate form of equipment.
F) First, the audio/visual pieces will be given audience.
G) The event will be opened in a manner akin to its closing.
H) Liquor party¡and the doors open.
I) Now, in a reversed event, there will be a few logistical elements one simply cannot resist reversing. Those elements not detailed here may be worked out later according to the advice of participating artists.
**A Final Note: Because some complications cannot be prophesied or arranged for in advance, new developments in the exhibition plan will be relayed to all participants as expediently as can be arranged. Also, once submitted materials have been returned, please contact Luo Fei in order to keep the exhibition and its planning process running as smoothly as possible.
