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M+, Hong Kong. Gift of Guan Yi, 2013, © U-theque
U-theque 緣影會
San Yuan Li 三元里
2002
In 2001, U-thèque screenings were heavily restricted. Consequently, Ou Ning and Cao Fei shifted their focus to encouraging U-thèque members to advance their own filmmaking. San Yuan Li was the first and only experimental film produced under the name of U-thèque. Sanyuanli is a small village on the outskirts of Guangzhou, and is famous for resisting the British Army invasions in the nineteenth century. At the end of the twentieth century, with a sharp acceleration in Guangzhou’s urbanisation, the village was integrated into the metropolis and became a hybrid of rural town and modern city; the Pearl River Delta created a unique space for the village, allowing it to retain the traditional rural life while absorbing urban elements brought in by visitors. Through the use of montage, the film shows the spatial relationship between Sanyuanli’s modern buildings and shanties. It also depicts other aspects of the town, including its public spaces, street life, nightlife, handicraft workshops, and its service industry. The film invokes the qualities of the genre of ‘City Symphony’ through varied camera movements combined with fast-paced editing and music.
In the 2003 Canton Express, Zheng Guogu planned a screening area for U-thèque. It was inspired by the popular home theatre set-up in the Pearl River Delta, where people place their entire home entertainment system in a large television cabinet. Copies of the U-theque published zine, U-fax were available in this space, allowing viewers to learn more about the group’s activities. Based on the installation in 2003, the 2017 iteration reconstructs the screening space and also replicates the television cabinet that contained U-fax.
In the 2003 Canton Express, Zheng Guogu planned a screening area for U-thèque. It was inspired by the popular home theatre set-up in the Pearl River Delta, where people place their entire home entertainment system in a large television cabinet. Copies of the U-theque published zine, U-fax were available in this space, allowing viewers to learn more about the group’s activities. Based on the installation in 2003, the 2017 iteration reconstructs the screening space and also replicates the television cabinet that contained U-fax.
Canton Express: Art from the Pearl River Delta. M+ Pavilion, Hong Kong, 23 June–10 September 2017
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