Lights, flashes, and pitch darkness. “Lumen” is the measurement of the total amount of visible light from a light source, and this art exhibition is the embodiment of just that. Filled with three floors of artificially illuminated or darkened body’s of work, art viewers will come out a bit dazed and in awe of how much of a difference light can make. From the get-go, this exhibition pushes our comfort zone regarding our relationship with artificial light. Yet, at the same time, each interactive contemporary work draws us further and further into disorienting spaces that we would typically instinctively avoid. Though this dizzying body of work may not be for everyone, those who want to see this exhibition at White Rabbit Gallery, here are my top picks.
DUST 2 BY CONG LINGQI (从瓴萁)
Enter an arched doorway on the first floor into a darkened space, and you will see this mock milky way . The artwork features mundane everyday objects made or collected by the artist which are suspended in the air by fishing line. Among this sea of plastic and metal objects are sink plungers, brushes, fly swatter, dustpan and even a mosquito coil, to name a few. What is most striking about this whole setup is the two beams of searchlights, which cast these perfectly scattered shadows onto the wall against a perfectly round lit up spot. Just like how the sun will highlight all the dust particles inside a room.
This artwork is a reflection of the obsolete objects and tools which are often forgotten in our race to get the newest material possessions and wealth. Standing underneath that sea of hanging junk brings in a stark reality check for all the things we overlook in our everyday lives and ambition to get further ahead.
CRYSTAL CITY BY WU CHI-TSUNG (吳季璁)
Imagine an invisible world where phantom skyscrapers and a mechanic sun casts different shadows over the city just like ours do in real life. Created with cheap, clear plastic boxes that we find in everyday product packaging and a singular light mounted on a constantly moving semicircle mechanic arch, this is a sight to behold. Wu Chi-tsung uses this installation to reflect the cold phantom city we have created and live in through our digital technology and cyberspace. It is also a satire for the China’s dazzling and attractive urban developments created in overdrive which hides in its shadows the equally fast-accumulating consumer waste. To enjoy the full enchanting shadow play, make sure you spend some time watching the arch move. Just make sure not to stand too close, or the moving arch will take you out.
WRITER’S VESSEL BY SHYU RUEY-SHIANN (徐瑞憲)
This constantly moving mechanical piece made from a horizontal laying bicycle wheel and pigeon feathers is mesmerising and is hard to pull your stare away once your start. The pigeon feathers represent quill pens, while the installation itself is a homage to the Marcel Duchamp’s ‘Bicycle wheel, 1997‘ kinetic sculpture and his passed sister. The work is a poetic way for the artist’s favourite saying to his students, “If you can say something in one sentence, then you don’t need ten”.
DZDZ BY YAO CHUNG-HAN 姚仲涵
Like its name, DzDz is inspired by the beats of techno music and aims to explore the relationships and collaborations between people in an ever-changing environment. The seven beams allude to the notes on a scale. The installation invites gallery visitors on stage to interact with the light beams by disrupting each beam through actions like standing in one spotlight. The disruption will then relay a static pulse that will build on top of a constantly played background beat. The artist purposely separates the beams so that a person can, at most, only play two beams. I would recommend trying this out with friends.
MINIATURE BY LUXURYLOGICO (豪華朗機工)
Luxurylogicco is a group of four artists who often creates whimsical and fun installations using mechanical parts, light and sound. The miniature, at first glance, looks to be a magnified slice of the mysterious night sky that visits every night. But the installation is created using a supercut of reality TV, ads and trash soap operas. Warning us to take note that what appears to glamourise our world can also soil it. The lights are super mesmerising, so it’s natural to be drawn closer and close to it, be careful you don’t accidentally get too close and step on the mirror glass underneath the work.
SOLAR BY LUXURYLOGICO (豪華朗機工)
Another fun installation by Lucurylogico, this one is made of 300 donated desk lamps. It mimics the sun’s flares on the surface of the sun. Just like the sun itself, this work is fascinating and hooks you right in. The display is incredibly bright when fully lit up, to the point that it almost hurts to look at it directly, but you cannot look away from it for some reason. If you are patient enough to sit through the complete set of lighting pattern changes, you will see all the different lamp details. The artists were also conscious of the environmental effects that large lighting display like this can have; all 300 original bulbs of the lamps have been replaced with low-energy bulbs.
CAGE BY LI HUI (李晖)
This art installation is not recommended for those who have claustrophobia or smoke, darkness or cages as triggers for PTSD. Visitors step into and then get closed in a pitch dark room for just under two minutes. Once inside the room, you will find the occasional release of gas from a smog machine and lines of green iodide laser stretching in an architectural grid-like structure—the lasers alternate at random intervals between different areas of the room to form cage-like structures.
One minute you are observing another visitor being caged, then the next, you are the one who is caged. The darkness and fog warp our perfective of space to create a feeling of dislocation and confusion. This work physically forces us to reevaluate the boundaries we invent for ourselves and shows us how our perceptions of reality can cage us inside a box, even if getting out of it is as easy or hard as stepping through a beam of light. Those who do start to feel uncomfortable inside the room knock on the door or yell for them to open it, and they will let you out. Keep in mind that when you are moving inside the space, things get a bit trippy, so move slow.
EXHIBITION DETAILS
TIPS FOR GETTING TO THE WHITE RABBIT GALLERY
WARNING FOR LUMEN EXHIBITION VISITORS
- Due to the use of lights in all forms and different degrees of darkness in this exhibition, it is not recommended for those who have:
- Epilepsy or are at risk of epileptic seizures.
- Photophobia that triggers migraine and headaches.
- PTSD triggers from flashes, bright lights, pitch darkness, smoke or fog.
- Claustrophobia.
- Extreme sensitivity or triggers to bright and constantly altering lights.
COVID PROCEDURES
Due to covid-19, the white rabbit gallery does not offer guided tours or large group entry, and strict covid procedures must be followed. These procedures are:
- Put on your mask. ALL visitors MUST wear a mask at all times inside the venue.
- Show proof of vaccination or medical exemption
- Answering standard Covid contact questions.
- Contactless temperature checks.
- Digital covid registration form – scan the QR code and register your name and contact details for contact tracing.
- There are interactive works where touch is involved. Visitors are required to use hand sanitiser before and after interacting with these artworks.
