Li-E Chen's One-Year Research and Development: A Silent Opera on the Life and Art of Tehching Hsieh 2017- 2018
VENICE | NEW YORK | LONDON
12 September 2017 - 12 September 2018
“Life is a life sentence, life is passing time, life is freethinking.” Tehching Hsieh
In 2017-2018, Li-E Chen conducted a series of experiments to begin her early conceptualisation of developing a 'silent opera' based on and inspired by the lifework(s) of Tehching Hsieh.
These involved carrying out her One-Year Research and Development, by visiting Tehching Hsieh: Doing Time exhibition at the 57th Venice Biennale in Venice, The Robert Wilson Archives at the Byrd Hoffman Watermill Foundation in New York; conducting her first public participatory experiments at the Southbank Centre, London during the China Changing Festival, "8 Session-Experiments" with 23 international contributors during Tate Modern's public displays of Tehching Hsieh: One Year Performance 1980-1981, and her first collaboration with Music Director and Conductor, Orlando Cella as part of her Artist Residency at Tete-a-Tete Opera Festival 2018 to present her Solo Work-in-Progress Performance Private-sharing along with a collection of Tehching Hsieh 1978 - 1999, 1978-1999 Posters and Statements at The Place, London. Marking the end of her R&D, Li-E invited Tehching Hsieh for a conversation with the public on 2nd October 2018 at the Live Art Development Agency, London, to gain a closer understanding of Hsieh’s ‘art without form’, ‘work become life’ and ‘freethinking become art.’
Li-E approached Hsieh's lifeworks as one piece of life durational work, and aimed to bring the concepts behind Hsieh’s six lifeworks to a 'silent opera.' Li-E refined her aesthetic of silence, interdisciplinary practice and opera making through this One-Year R&D. Her inspiration for this work was based on her initial response to the documentation posters and statements of Tehching Hsieh's six lifeworks: five One Year Performance ('Cage Piece', 'Time Clock Piece', 'Outdoor Piece', 'Art/Life Rope Piece', 'No Art Piece') carried out between 1978 - 1986 and Tehching Hsieh: 1986 - 1999 ('Thirteen Year Plan'), that she discovered in 2009.
For more details about the project, please visit here.
One Year R&D Project blog was opened to access by the public during the R&D period, and now can still be accessed via making a request.
For any enquiries, please email info@liechen.com
A massive thank you to my team, contributors, mentors, all of my supporters, and friends to contribute my artistic development and helping me to make the project really successful.
Also a special thanks to: Tehching Hsieh (New York), Robert Wilson and The Robert Wilson Archives at the Byrd Hoffman Watermill Foundation (New York), Columbia University in the City of New York, Rare Book & Manuscript Library (New York), Professor Nathan Widder, Contemporary Political Theory Research Group, Royal Holloway, University of London (UK), and Improbable’s Devoted and Disgruntled (UK).
ARTIST, CONCEPT, DIRECTION:
Li-E Chen
INVISIBLE MUSEUM ASSISTANTS:
Li-E Chen, Hannah Grace Whittaker, Maria-Teresa Ortoleva, Christina Marriage, Mette Philipsen, Dr Mark Walker, Paul Whitlock, Jasmine Lee, Yiwen Li, Nouria Bah, Chloe Ting, Christie Lee, Sherry Jie Min and Anonymous
PROJECT COORDINATOR & ARTIST ASSISTANT: Hannah Grace Whittaker
PROJECT MANAGEMENT & PRODUCER: Li-E Chen
PROJECT ASSISTANT: Maria-Teresa Ortoleva
ACCESS SUPPORT ASSISTANTS: Mette Philipsen and Anonymous
RESIDENCY COLLABORATOR - MUSIC CONDUCTOR: Orlando Cella
CONTRIBUTORS OF '8 SESSION-EXPERIMENTS WITH LI-E CHEN':
Andrea Abbatangelo (Artist/Sculptor)
Angeliki Margeti (Choreographer)
Christina Marriage (Curator)
Clay Gold (Writer/Sound Artist)
Claudia Contu (Curator)
Delea Stand (Singer)
Eleni Tomadaki- Balomenou (Artist)
Eline Vandeheede (Singer)
Emma Ingala Gómez (Professor of Philosophy)
Ernst Fischer (Artist)
Ezequiel Steinman (Dramaturge/Artist)
Gavin Fernades (Violinist/Conductor/Composer)
James Oldham (Composer/Director/Artist)
Jessica Hung Yun (Lighting Designer)
Lynn-Marie Harper (Writer/Choreographer)
Orlando Cela (Music Director/Conductor)
Stewart Melton (Writer/Dramaturge/Director)
Seta White (Actor/Director/Opera Director)
Tanya Sharick (Artist)
Maria Teresa Ortoleva (Visual Artist)
Megan Armitage (Musician)
Miguel Ballarin (Choreographer)
Yanaelle Thiran (Choreographer)
CONTRIBUTORS OF LI-E CHEN'S INVISIBLE MUSEUM AT THE SOUTHBANK CENTRE
Ernst Fischer (Artist), Jey Jeyakumar (Singer), Jonathan Parr (Theatre Artist), and Kimvi Nguyen (Artist).
FOR ANY ENQUIRIES,
please contact Li-E Chen, email info@liechen.com