Here On the Edge of the Sea We Sit – Ausstellung

Upon entering the space, visitors are immediately confronted by large leaning objects positioned on the floor. Reminiscent of stranded buoys, they evoke a quasi, post-apocalyptic, dystopian scenario. The massive, architectonic sculptures, covered in a homogeneous gradient of grayscale colours and patterns, are loosely connected together by signal cables. Ostensibly decoupled from their original function as boundary markers and surveillance points, the locational information they communicate from sea is revealed as arbitrary. Drifted away from the context they are designed to serve, they take on the fluidity and unspecific character of monuments and territories. Constructed from blank white paper and newspapers sourced from diverse ideological, linguistic and geographical backgrounds, the buoys act as visual metaphors for the entanglement of competing ideologies. Encrusted with echoes of other times through their layering and compacting of materials and information, they evoke waves and loops of time, challenging our linear understanding of its passage. The materiality of the paper pulp creates the illusion that these oversized sculptures are fashioned from heavy materials like cement or granite, invoking associations to weapons, bunkers or temporary shelters. Upon closer inspection, however, it becomes evident that the sculptures are, in fact, constructed from fragile papier mâché.

Sounds of varying intensity can be heard coming from inside these dysfunctional, identity-less objects. The hollow, pulp structures, which also double as large resonating chambers for amplifying individual sound frequencies, emit tones that echo, overlap and resonate together, but which also fall out of sync at times. Produced within the space is a cryptic dialogue that recalls vague signals from the past, amplifying the tension between the physical presence of the sculptures and the intangible, shifting sounds enveloping them. Overhead, an interactive sound installation of public speeches given by political figures fills the entire space and connects all parts of the exhibition together. Experimenting with various modes of reception, Chen explores the dynamic interplay between private and public auditory experiences, each of which shape the dissemination of information in distinct ways. Via headphones, each listener can experience their own personal soundtrack created by their unique path through the show.

This intimate experience intermixes with sounds played in the space via speakers, creating a sensory connection bridging personal and collective realms of auditory engagement.

In the front exhibition space, Ting-Jung Chen’s larger-than-human-sized buoy sculptures express the overwhelming, monumental nature of official narratives around collective identity. In the rear space, however, experiences of overload are transformed into a sensorial realm beyond the tangible and material world. Here, visitors enter a dark space configured from three pieces of black truck tarpaulin fabric, stretched taut and suspended from the ceiling. As the eyes adjust to the darkness, the sound initially heard via headphones is gradually overpowered by an intensifying noise, and a bright light suddenly floods the space, leaving viewers temporarily blinded. With the momentary loss of sight, the audible sound then shifts from noise to a single frequency, and finally to silence. Following the bright flash of light, visible traces of inverted colour are left hanging in the darkness.

This mix of overstimulation and sensory deprivation makes visitors immediately aware of their senses as they are exposed to the contrasts and excessive information mirrored in the massive sculptures and snippets of ideological speech presented in the front space. Through the fluidity of sound, a “counter-monument” is generated that activates the agency of visitors, enabling them to generate potential noise and dissonance outside the harmonious systems. In this way, sound and events undergo multiple translations and are transformed into extended, plural narratives, thus opening up multiple time layers and envisaging alternative forms of bodily empowerment as well as the various ways in which boundaries are defined.