Frank WANG Yefeng, a native of Shanghai now based in New York, and Satoshi Fujiwara, hailing from Kobe and currently residing in Berlin, found themselves accidental travelers in Wuhan. They aimed to forge captivating ties with the local culture. As part of the K11 Group X ArtReview Residency artists, they crafted a workshop at Surplus Space to foster unexpected collaborations between themselves and the local community.
Both WANG and Fujiwara’s practices delve into the intricate interplay between cutting-edge technology and the whimsical essence of human existence. WANG’s interdisciplinary approach contemplates themes of self-becoming within the digital realm, exploring concepts like “in-betweenness” and “disidentification.” Fujiwara revolves around dissecting the relationship between contemporary imaging and society, exploring the essence of visual culture through critical examination of violence, media, and identity via photography.
This workshop orchestrates immersive, interactive sessions involving local participants. The space becomes a vibrant platform for exchanging ideas, perspectives, and new possibilities. Through spontaneous digital collage, real-time 3D dynamic simulation, and facial motion capture, the event probes a new kind of identity formation by blurring the boundaries between the digital and physical realms. Drawing inspiration from thinkers such as Bernard Stiegler, Yuk Hui, and Hiroki Azuma, participants engage in an improvisational social experiment. By trading digital objects via easy-to-distribute mediums such as USB drives and personal smart devices, the event facilitates connections among individuals in an uncanny digital landscape to create a novel, unimagined collaborative network.
* Participants are encouraged to submit one or more digital pictures from their photo albums before the workshop begins/when registering for the event.