Which traces are yours? Which are mine? Where do they connect? Whether their origins are internal or external, all traces are deeply tied to the traces of others, forming a collective system of memory, which exerts influence on groups and individuals, often in unforeseen ways. The installation “living traces” invited visitors to introspect, connect and leave traces, to engage as much as they would like and explore the interconnectedness of remembering bodies.
An Orchid is not just a flower but an accumulation of layers of claims, projections and violence within and through time. Defined by a name, categorization, and stories about heroes and hunters it becomes a symbol for things it has not given its consent to.
A piece of driftwood is perhaps too big for one. It is shared amongst three friends, who build everything they could out of it. Lots of items, stories, memories and time – contained in a shed. A piece of driftwood that was once borrowed. It has provided and it has given. And now, it has been returned.
The multi-speaker sound installation conceived by Xu Chia-Chun, Jamira Estrada and Piero Scherer explored the interplay between shelter and isolation, protection and constraint. It invited the visitors to navigate a space where the boundaries of inside and outside, protection and limitation blur into an evocative soundscape.
Drawing on many influences, from displacement systems to futuristic utopian scenarios and habitual reflection, “Anthropocene” explores power structures in the context of sacrifice zones, dwelling upon the fragile equilibrium of protecting and using land and the unequal consequences that the waste of resources produce.
„Polypulse“ deals with the topic of protection through creating a vulnerable and intimate experience between strangers in a city environment. The audience is invited to come close, feel their heartbeat in the backdrop of the city noise and negotiate what it means to be part of a vibrating moment of shared experience.
The inside of the protecting greenhouse is warm, welcoming, a necessary condition for some of its living beings. However, the creatures living under its shelter may unknowingly start to deform. Protection turns into corrosion. They go from resisting to losing their self-care ability, eventually leading to a sense of hopelessness. This decaying metamorphosis could be considered a conspiracy theory. But how would we be able to truly know?
An exploration of the perception of time through capturing moments instead of time. The experience of a slower pace and the unpredictable natural conditions raise questions about the meaning of time. Perceptions of time vary and are linked to different values. Caught in the construct of time, we sometimes get lost in thoughts about the future and miss the moment. But where are the boundaries of the present in the flow of time?
Why is everything here so sweet? Life in Jogja is sweet, maybe extremely sweet; from its food and beverages to its cigarettes… Somehow, despite its adverse effects, sugar sweetens our life. Gula is never sold out is a long duration performance, which recreates the production process of sugar. From line work to service, the work takes a playful approach on this historically loaded ingredient.
Mount Merapi, one of the most active stratovolcanoes in the world, is wrapped in many layers of hidden histories, local myths, and constant surveillance of data collecting technology. Artists, scientists, academics and many more have been fascinated by this entity, resulting in many trans-collaborative projects and approaches trying to capture its essence.
The work explored the myth of Siluman (shape-shifter) originating from close surroundings of the volcano in Indonisia – Mount Merapi. White Tiger of Mount Merapi is believed to be a mythical being-an apparition of the protecting ancestor of the villagers beneath Merapi.
The durational performance “When things don’t come together” explores the meaning of collaboration when the team falls apart, somebody is missing, the plans that were made seem impossible and the only things that remain are fragments of work that do not want to fit together: A research, different materials, images, a figure with a language of movements.
Our performance was based highly on trust and understanding, and we decided to take some risks. Our references were mostly performance artists such as Anne Imhof, Bill Viola, Guoqiang Tsai, Marina Abramović, and Tehching Hsieh. We agreed that the piece should include a certain extent of interaction with the audience and be presented in a fine art context. Without a plot, there would certainly be some surprises, and the right attitude to face them was to improvise within our roles. With rigorous concentration, exhaustion of the physical body, and deprivation of verbal communication, we tried out different things within three hours.
We meet many strangers in our daily life. Everyone has their own life path . I imagine the possibility of dialogue in these daily encounters. I found that by listening to different people’s stories, I could make a vivid connection to the city. The first person in Yogya to tell me his story was Seyang, a bentor driver. Through his personal story, I felt the lifeline of the city from his personal story with its individual history.
“I nearly forgot what mum said to me.”“Most of the time I don’t follow what she said.” “Maybe she’s right, but I have to make my own mistakes.” Every time you recall a memory, it gets further from the truth: mistrust and self- doubt distort the traces that are left from every past encounter, coloring your approach to every new person you meet.
Puppets don’t have life. But they tell stories. Well…we tell stories. This story is about a boy who got his adventure in a totally different world. If it sounds familiar to you, we assure you there will be something new. Like the boy can be you and me, and this strange fantasy world is actually not very far from us.
Under the question “What traces do we leave behind?” the participants Lucy Fabian, Yen / Wing Yan Lin and Melanie Durrer tried to create a sustainable, safe space at Communitism. In doing so, they explored different questions such as: “What needs can a place have and how can different people interacting with different places change this state?”
The installation by TC21 participants Alexei Monney, Shimin Ji and Lo Wan Ki makes the question “Where are you from?” visually tangible. In the same act, the artists add a lot of sub-context that directs the viewer’s thoughts in particular directions.
Humans have an infinite imagination about the species of the universe and the universe itself. Would they express their thoughts and feelings the way humans do? Questions like these are becoming more and more interesting. “Kin Feasting” looks at these questions from different angles.
With “Access Point”, the artists attempted to show an improvised performance four times, incorporating four different but equally important concepts in one piece. The central object was a vacuum cleaner used to clean the exhibition space and the materials experimented with during the exploration process.
This project interacts directly with the body and the brain’s neuro system. An immersive experience that visitors to the final presentation of TC21 had at One Minute Space in Athens.
The three participants examined the element of water and what connection it has with memories. Are memories as fluid as water? Looking Through Water explores this topic.
The Common Ground Group was the glue that held the different groups together and made the final exhibition at One Minute Space possible. But not only that. True to the TC21 motto: contamination and affection, they contaminated the space as part of their own contribution.
IOU is an experimental project in collaboration between TC participants Markella Ksilogiannopoulou, Shimin Ji and Qianlin Wang, realised during our residencies at Communitism in Athens. The installation included a video projected on the wall, a diagram drawn on the floor with candles and objects lying around, and a live performance.
Is it about the question or the answer? TC participants Nasia, Lucy, Alexeï, Melanie and Wan had many questions and tried to find ways to translate the feelings these questions provoked into a small space and make it pleasant and beautiful for the people who use it. In this process, they created a place for all living beings in the world. So that every being, fluffy or not fluffy, hairy or not hairy, girly or not, can theoretically enter.
Fascinated by the dazzling city of Athens, “Chasing Tears” is a reflection on its inhabitants and its many passages of population. Line Chevalley, Milena Schircks, Tanja Kapoglou, Vangelis Tzolakis and Otto Kolless questioned the hustle and bustle of the people in Athens and translated it into their works.
«Super Authentic Home Cooking with Tomatoes and Eggs» is a project by Chiara Giardi, Jiaxi Han and Sherry Xiao. It was presented as part of the exhibition “Saganaki on Ice”, which took place at Communitism (Athens, Greece) on 28 October 2021.
The Oracle Foyer is a joint project by three artists from different cultural backgrounds (Taiwanese/Japanese/German). In this project, they explored the differences between and relationships with their cultures on the level of superstition, proverbs and divination. Inspired by the myths surrounding the Oracle of Delphi. Their Oracle Foyer, a sensory interactive installation, set in an open-air interstitial space between the two buildings of Communism.
The collective is interested in the issues of identity formation through analogue and digital spheres and the power structures that surround these identities. The group, formed by feminities, wanted to create a space of exploration where all voices could be heard without discrimination. Combining spatial design and performance. A rhythmic chant with words and phrases created in the process of community healing.
