Collection Online
Search the Collection 搜索M+藏品
M+, Hong Kong, © Chen Chieh-Jen
Chen Chieh-Jen 陳界仁
Dysfunction No.3 機能喪失第三號
1983, restored 2017
On 30 October 1983, Chen Chieh-Jen organized a guerilla-style performance on Wuchang Street in the Ximending district of Taipei. Footage from that day, shot with 8mm film, comprises Dysfunction No.3. As the opening credits roll, a beating drum echoes like a heartbeat. Among a growing crowd are five young men, wearing matching white T-shirts, khakis, and bandages around their feet. The five performers place bag-like masks over their heads and wrap a strand of black fabric around their eyes, to fasten the bags tight, and another around their wrists, like handcuffs. Walking single file along the dotted traffic lines at the centre of the street, they captivate the attention of the crowd, some of whom watch intently, while others take photos. The line of masked men suddenly stops, as does the soundtrack, as they leap from the queue, lunging, writhing, and screaming as if they are in torturous pain. Falling to the ground, some lay motionless as though they are dead. Police interrogate the men as the performance ends.
With Dysfunction No.3., Chen sought to comment on Taiwan under martial law, an authoritarian regime that tightly controlled public activities.
With Dysfunction No.3., Chen sought to comment on Taiwan under martial law, an authoritarian regime that tightly controlled public activities.
Loading