1. Look for the Signs
聽風。望月。超聲波。
“Beyond the edge of the world there’s a space where emptiness and substance neatly overlap, where past and future form a continuous, endless loop. And, hovering about, there are signs no one has ever read, chords no one has ever heard.” -- Haruki Murakami, Kafka on the Shore (2002)
To make the invisible visible is an impulse of artistic creation, to move the invisible into the realm of the perceptible, our consciousness. Imagination rules… but not without one’s sensitive presence, and the ability to see the structure of presencing.
「在世界的邊緣之外，有一個空間，其中空虛和實質完全重疊，過去和未來形成了一個連續的、無休止的循環。而且，從上往下徘徊著看，有那從沒有人讀過的跡象，沒有人聽過的和弦。」-- 村上春樹：《岸上的卡夫卡》（海辺のカフカ, Umibe no Kafuka, 2002）（英語版中譯）
把看不見的呈現，讓其進入我們的意識範疇，是藝術和創作活動的所出。需要想像力，也要對身在其中的世界看得剔透，見別人所不見。
- Analog, eye, black-and-white
Concept, Camera, Processing, Post-production: Ivana Durkáčová
Music: Boris Javorský
She regularly exhibits at home and abroad, participates in international events and workshops and, since 2012, she has also been a co-founder and a member of the art collective dsk. together with Ľuboš Kotlár and Ján Skaličan.
Her work is characterized by intermedial overlaps and she frequently works with the moving image. Currently, she lives and works in Bratislava, Slovakia.
Jurors’ notes:
Tamas: It’s quite poetic and has a strong impact on me.
Linda: The beauty of cinema at its basic: the work reminds us of the power of camera work and editing. Simple visual narrative with precise montage work. Then slowly and gradually I discover that the images I see are the result of an embodied vision -- someone was there, looking and paying attention from a specific point of space.
Winnie: Even though I’m not quite sure if it fits the categories declared, I like the work on super 8 film.
- Language
*[Editor’s note] Esperanto is the most widely spoken constructed international auxiliary language. It was created by Polish ophthalmologist L. L. Zamenhof in 1887. (more details: Wikipedia)
近期展覽包括今日美術館 X InArt | 「未來藝術」，麻省理工學院博物館的 《HOT STEAM III》（2020），里斯本的《The New Art Fest 2020》，莫斯科 Winzavod 當代藝術中心的《NOW & AFTER 2020》，奧地利林茨的 Ars Electronica·Art Gallery（2020），以及莫斯科人文與信息記述研究所的《Days of Contemporary Art 2020》。
Jurors’ notes:
Tamas: Is this work designed to be a piece of irony? I am not entirely sure about its tone. Technically it is not very well made and there are moments with some strange collage. ...
John: I enjoy the rebellious tone of this work. With the use of Sims-like characters (all in cult-like uniforms), and a virtual building that explicitly refers to the Babel tower, the work expresses our collective disappointment toward the promised freedom in the virtual world (World Wide Web). As many of us have experienced it, the current post-internet era is admittedly the opposite of the utopia we are striving for.
Hoi: I have a similar feeling with Tamas. The symbolism created in the video is too expected. There is so much one can do in the virtual world that there is no need to build another Babel Tower.
Winnie: The video has created such a meditative yet somehow bizarre atmosphere... I am intrigued by how the maker uses 3D to present such ideas. The quality of the monologues heavily lingers throughout the whole video the way they are presented ...
Linda: Technical flaws are not my concern. In fact, I like it because it’s somewhat rough and with breaks in between sessions. I feel with the under-stated hardship being played out in that world as well as some of the quotations. Episodes here and there connect with my anxiety for what will become of our future.
JUROR'S SPECIAL MENTION
評審特别表揚
- Virtual culture, psychological safety, virtual architecture
Based on his experience as an artist and curator in DAHproject, Forouzandeh developed his emphasis on the investigation of human behavior and emotions, and the effects of culture in the past and present. His work thus anticipates future cultural changes and how they assign meaning to our living experiences. The use of contemporary and emerging technologies enables his work to bridge the cultural timeline between past and future.
Jurors’ notes:
***Juror’s Special Mention
I feel strongly in defending this work precisely because it is a controversial piece in the jury panel discussion. It stands between the demand for technical excellence and the freshness of an idea to share. Is it not enough to support this work on the ground that it is a stimulating draft idea? What is discussed in this work is something alien to my culture and familiar knowledge system and, therefore, is a precious token that initiates my attention to certain realities I have never considered. It makes my world bigger. I also feel I may have taken for granted too much the freedom and accessibility I have enjoyed “in the cloud” -- I need to re-assess. (Linda Lai)
Tamas: From a 3D animation’s point of view, this work is a bit disappointing -- with its beginner’s level and repeated use of certain 3D elements. I often see it as a problem when a tool fails to be turned into a personalized artistic style. Other than that, I think it still has a great idea and tells a personal topic.
Linda: This work lends me a unique gender angle I have not thought about -- that of gendered architectural design. Interesting that this gendered space at the heart of Persian architecture could be tied to isolation in the COVID-19 situation. I feel for the entrapment, not so much of security, in a confined space, more than ever. So, the work in a way juxtaposes architectural and institutional horror. Regardless of the lack of technical excellence in terms of 3d animation and rendering, I could relate to this work and feel I’ve learnt something.
- Migration, home, food
- 遷移, 居所,, 食物
In 2017-2018, she had organized two screenings for a series she created, titled “Having A Balanced Diet,” for the Floating Projects, to encourage experimental videos to become part of our daily basis.
Ding received her Bachelor of Arts and Science (Honours) in New Media from City University of Hong Kong’s School of Creative Media in 2017.
曾於2017 至 2019 年策劃《日常飲像影食》系列的放映會共兩次，展示「實驗」影像走向日常化，如何擴大生活的視野和習慣。
Jurors’ notes:
Tamas: I don’t really understand the video. It’s not structured enough.
John: The sense of longing and regret is subtly creeping out here and there from seemingly plain travelogue images -- what hides underneath could be pure anguish and discomfort. I can feel the artist (and her friend) keying in on "food" as their lifeline of sanctity during their seven months.
Winnie: This video has juxtaposed her process of exploring a space/location (a new/temporary "home") with the footage of food/cooking, news report on the protest in HK, and travelogues of various locations. I echoed deeply with Ding's line on food -- sharing food and cooking for a person has such tenderness as a way to wish for someone's wellness. What stands out for me is also the back-and-forth situation when she tried to connect herself to somewhere through various means.