10 October – 22 December 2008
Suki Chan, stills from Interval II, high definition video, 2008
Chinese Arts Centre is proud to present the premiere of Interval II, a video installation by Suki Chan investigating traces of human presence within two contrasting landscapes. The film examines a cast iron pier on the northwest coast of England and a rammed earth roundhouse in rural southwest China. Using time-lapse to capture the movement of light and shadows over the structures, Chan engages the viewer in the cycles and fluctuations of time – metaphors for the recent shifts within the two very different types of architecture.
The cast-iron pier is a symbol of industrialisation and a place of social and cultural activity. Stretching out over the sea it brings us closer to the elements of nature whilst conveying a vision for human advancement through science and technology. Today, as piers fall into disrepair, many become a refuge for a new community. Thousands of starlings return each day to roost, marking their arrival with mesmerizing swarming formations in the sky.
The roundhouse is the traditional dwelling of the Hakka, a subgroup within the Han Chinese people with a long history of migration. The round structure is designed to protect its inhabitants from nature and other threats, and articulates the collective spirit of the community. As China modernises, their way of living is being challenged as many move away in search of new opportunities in the cities.
Suki Chan is an artist whose work explores issues of time, space and memory. Her installations combine light, moving image and sound to transport the viewer to a place between the real and imaginary, past and future.
Suki Chan is one of the featured artists in Chinese Arts Centre’s new publication 21 : Discussions with artists of Chinese descent in the UK
