Artworks
Shish!
Wilson Road Exhibition
Shish!
3 Sound Installations on hollow walls, 2022
THE VIDEO IN THE EXHIBITION
Description of the work Shish!
My work ‘Shish!’ is a combination of three sound installations planted into the wall, to be more specific, I recorded 30 audio recordings of volunteer’s secrets and stored in the recording pen, then edited the recordings to play through the three holes on the wall.
Regarding these recordings, I used face-to-face interviews, online communication and other methods to obtain them. These secret providers varies from elderly to children, people who come from different countries and speak different languages. These secrets include thoughts of deceased relatives, repentance for what has been done, and some thoughts of depression and suicide.
The sound installations are distributed irregularly into three different walls around the Wilson Road showroom. This can make the audience feel free to explore the next "secret of the tree hole" like wondering in actual forest finding new tree holes to interact with. And when the audience stands in front of one of the ‘tree hole’ , the tell and listening begins automatically.
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Southwark Park Galleries/ Dilston Gallery
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Video, 2022
THE VIDEO IN THE EXHIBITION
Description of the work Untitled
This video piece continues my theme of exploring the notion of ‘privacy in public’ and try to document secrets by a different form as secret keeper.
Every corner of the world contains information, secrets, and memories that are important to some people. Even though there are secrets hidden everywhere, most people can’t seem to notice them, so eventually those words lead to no audience, like talking to oneself in the mirror.
Can you see it?
This video recorded my journey of exploring secrets in London for over the last year. These includes ‘Love Locks’ filmed at Westminster Bridge; The National Covid Memorial Wall filmed at Lambeth Bridge; the secret books that kept secrets from volunteers at a bookstore, and also my findings of actual tree hole in different parks and forest. I edited 50 secret recordings that I kept collecting from my last project into the background for immersion.
At the end of the film, I told my secret.
Process
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This are some of the sketches I made when I was making the sound installation, I was thinking of making a realistic tree hole installation with tinfoil inversions but during one of my tutorials with James he advised me against it and recommended the work of artist Ryan Gander.
Finally I chose to drill a hole in a snowy white hollow wall with secrets playing in it, which also reflected the contrast of the endless darkness of secrets behind the snowy white wall.
I have tested some players to act as a medium for my sound installations hidden in the cave.
In the process, I ruled out headphones as I thought it carried the implication of leading the audience to listen to the secrets.
I tried using Bluetooth audio, but given the potential pitfalls of power and PAT testing in the exhibition hall, I eventually opted for a smaller recorder for storage and playback, which is easier to hide than the recorder and has enough power to last for 10 hours, enough to last for the duration of the exhibition each day.
I was considering about the number of holes and based on the distribution of the Wilson Road showroom, I finally discussed with Sarah and decided to do three.
Both Kate and Sarah suggested that I separate the three holes as it creates a sense of not knowing where the next hole (secret) is, and exploring the secret.
At the same time, the undulating whisper that tells the secret could surround the whole gallery.
Three test results about holes
Before digging the holes into the wall, I carried out tests. I used a formwork similar to the material of the gallery wall to cut the holes.
With regard to making the edges of the holes, I tested three results: regular, sharp and irregular.
Both Sarah and I eventually decided that the irregular, random hole, which appeared on a snow-white, intact wall, while making a sound, was more intriguing to explore.
At first I tried to make the hole directly with a hammer, but then realised it wasn't working.
I consulted technician Pete, who suggested I use a drill to cut some small holes before smashing them with a hammer, which would better achieve the effect I was testing and not cause unnecessary damage to the wall.
He also taught me some tips on how to use the drill.
When editing the audio, I made ten recordings as one file of three 30-piece pieces.
As the length of the recordings of each person telling their secrets varied, I interspersed the clips from different languages as one complete file and tested them repeatedly for good playback.
I had three recorders ready before the exhibition. However, the day before the exhibition one of them failed to play and I had to borrow a larger recorder from CLS.
I used hooks and velcro to hide the recorder inside the wall so that the audience would not notice the playback device when facing the hole.
The audience will not be able to see the device when they are facing the hole.
I have learnt from this experience and I will make sure I have an extra equipment before the next show just in case!
One of the walls where the hole was placed did not work well to enable me to retrieve the recorder to charge it after the show, Sarah suggested that I open up the wooden panel next to the wall and screw it in place as a removable one, an expert skill I learnt on this show.
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In my Proposal I originally intended to show a sound installation and a video, but the curator told me that due to the limited space I could only show one, or to change the sound installation (the hole) to a number of headphones scattered on the floor.
I finally edited the sound installation's audio files into the video as a complete work for this exhibition, considering that the form of the headphones was leading.
The software I used in the editing was PR and AU.
I tested the film with colour effects and black and white effects. Due to the scenes and the theme of my work, black and white without colour gives a better result.
In the editing process, I used a combination of images and video from the film "DETACHMENT" to reflect the emotions and feelings of the struggle to tell the secret
This is the ending I wrote by hand using procreate software after being inspired by watching the film ' DETACHMENT'. Because I felt that there were similarities between the depressing emotions expressed in this film and the theme of my video.
I tested my equipment a week in advance to make sure I could make the show in time, just in case the last time the recorder didn't work.
During the conversation with Sarah I learnt that my subject's secrets involved the privacy of the interviewer and that if I was to use this information for the exhibition I would need to inform the person in advance to sign the Consent Form.
This was an experience I hadn't thought of before and I researched and wrote this form, which was also very helpful as I learned from the exercise.
