The Address
situational work - public encounter, relational process
In The Address and the 40 Titles project, the work emerges through an actual encounter. People in the public space contribute titles, stories and gestures, creating a moment of shared presence. The installation and the book function as residues of that moment, traces of a relational process rather than representations of it. This work marks a shift in my practice from action‑based making toward situational and relational forms, where meaning arises through what happens between people, objects and context.
The Address
Photograph / wooden table base / glass panels (2015).
Photo: Xiamen, 2014
Image: 'Photo Cutout' of situation during installation '40 Titles II', 2015.
The 40 Titles Project
The title is based upon one of 40 artist books from the '40 Titles' project (2014)
The books were created and printed during an artist residency at the Chinese European Art Center: 40 books, 40 different titles, given 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 →