To Chuni:
Immersive Visuals and Conceptual Clarity
The core theme of your curatorial project, Life’s Fragility and Plasticity, is clearly articulated: life is constantly being “shaped, broken, and reassembled” by time, trauma, environment, and technology. From the beginning, you expressed a desire to create an exhibition where viewers could “become one with the artwork”—a space with blurred boundaries and layered narratives. This intention, inspired by installations such as Chiharu Shiota’s Soul Trembling, which weaves personal memories into immersive emotional webs, results in a conceptually coherent framework. Your project is commendable for its immersive, multi-sensory visuals and strong thematic focus.
Resonance with My Project “Invisible Control of Time”
Our themes intersect through the lens of trauma and time—trauma often distorts temporal perception, trapping individuals in memory loops. This is where Chuni’s non-linear, memory-infused approach could offer valuable insights for my project. Your emphasis on feminist artists and the fragility of the body also inspired me to take a more “humanized” curatorial approach to time.
Reading your blog made me realise that mine lacks a clear presentation of the artworks and artists I intend to collaborate with under each thematic branch.
Areas for further development
1. Range of Artists’ Selection
You mentioned that there may be relatively few artworks directly addressing the theme of life plasticity. However, artistic practices in adjacent fields—such as bioart and posthumanist art—often engage with similar concepts. I will include some curatorial case studies related to your subtopics in the resource summary at the end of the review to help enrich your curatorial framework.
2. Participation, Space, and Technology
Your project already incorporates interactivity, but there are still opportunities to deepen audience engagement. The idea of a “recording zone” (as mentioned in your Week 9 reflection) is compelling. However, you might further consider the fluidity and privacy of the exhibition space—how can you guide the visitor’s journey without enforcing a linear path?
Your inspiration from the AR tour of Casa Batlló is a promising starting point. The idea of integrating AR into the exhibition tour, as mentioned in your Week 8 blog, adds an exciting layer of immersion. In response to your inquiry about spatial design and digital expansion, the Post-Life section of the 2nd Beijing Media Art Biennale—particularly the units Data Life, Mechanical Life, and Synthetic Life—offers valuable references. These works exemplify how spatial fluidity and life’s digital/AR augmentation can be effectively realized in curatorial practice. (https://www.cafa.com.cn/cn/news/details/2110349)
3.Finally, given the sensitive nature of the subject matter, some artworks may evoke personal or collective trauma.
To ensure the emotional well-being of visitors, it may be helpful to include content warnings, quiet spaces for reflection, or access to supportive resources. These measures can demonstrate a thoughtful and caring curatorial approach that prioritises audience care and safety.
Resources Externalisation：
How the Environment Shapes Life The art project
The Con[tra]cave demonstrates that non-human environmental elements (such as caves, rocks, and geological formations) are not mere backdrops but active agents that profoundly influence and continuously reshape individual life forms and inner perception. (https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/KiabNU2stCXKjoffxgjGRA)
Notably, ZHANG Wenxin’s work emphasizes the subtle shaping power of the environment on human emotions, memory, and cognitive processes. (https://www.zhangwenxin.com/)
Internalisation: Emotional Self-Regulation
In the Perceptual Geography exhibition at A4 Art Museum, artist Dai Guangyu explored the intersection between artworks and the viewer’s inner world, presenting a fusion of space, time, and emotion. (https://www.inkstudio.com.cn/zh/artists/64-dai-guangyu/)
Symbiosis: The Flow and Reconstruction of Life
In your Week 8 blog reflections, you mentioned wanting the exhibition to evoke temporality and a sense of fluidity, becoming a space that is continuously shaped and reshaped. The exhibition Preserve by Anya Gallaccio may offer meaningful inspiration. Through her use of mutable materials (such as fresh flowers or melting candles), Gallaccio vividly demonstrates the effects of external conditions (time, humidity, temperature), allowing viewers to intuitively experience the transformation of material life from beauty to decay. (https://turnercontemporary.org/whats-on/anya-gallaccio-preserve/#gallery)
Leave a Reply