The Address
Situational installation.
The Address is an installation that emerged from a situational encounter in public space within the framework of the 40 Titles project, where it marked a shift toward plural forms of meaning.
The installation functions as a residue of the situation, a trace of a relational constellation rather than a representation of it. It acts as a renewed instance of the situation, bringing what was observed into the present not as an image but as an invitation. The work reflects how meaning can arise from the positioning of bodies, objects and context.
Image: 'Photo Cutout' of situation during installation '40 Titles II', 2015.
The 40 Titles Project & 40 titles artist books
After a work period in China for the CEAC (2014), the project went further under the name and concept of '40 Titles', which originates from a public space art project. It involved asking 40 people in the streets of Xiamen, to provide a title for one of 40 small books to go with the final exhibition. Each title offers a completely different 'entrance' and with that a new context. This marked one in a series of interventions during the stay.
The books were created and printed during an artist residency at the Chinese European Art Center: 40 books, 40 different titles, by 40 different people.
Field Report - The Address
When I took the photograph, the man who had placed the set rushed over from the other side of the street and invited me to drink tea with him. He turned out to be the owner of a bicycle repair shop. I carried a letter translated into Chinese, asking people to come up with a title they would like. He wrote down a title of impressive length, and I was very curious about what it would mean. Later, when it was translated to me, it turned out to be the address of his shop.
As I sat there with him for a while, I found out that lots of people knew him and greeted him as they passed by. The day I got the books from the printer, I visited him again. With the freshly printed books with me, I showed him the book with his ‘title’ written on it. He laughed, pointing at his shop, a garage across the street. He was obviously pleased. Then he hurried back because a customer arrived.
I sat with his wife for a while, using my iPhone to translate. She couldn’t read, so a younger man who was also sitting with us interpreted. She looked through the book, paying special attention to the photographs taken nearby, pointing out the places she recognized.
We said goodbye in a friendly way, and no differences of any kind mattered.
Photo: Bicycle repair man reading the Chinese project explanation inviting people to give a title.
40 Titles →