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M+, Hong Kong. Gift of Guan Yi, 2013, © Liu Heng
Liu Heng 劉珩
The Abandoned 廢棄
2002
The rapid urbanisation of the Pearl River Delta region created two major problems in the
landscape. Firstly, constructions consumed massive amounts of natural resources, such as water, sand, and gravel. They were needed to produce concrete, and open-pit mines were usually abandoned once they were exhausted. Secondly, many construction businesses were fuelled by speculative investments. Funding often did not last long enough to complete projects, resulting in a lot of abandoned, skeletal structures littering the urban landscape. As a trained architect, Liu was keenly aware of these problems. The Abandoned is an installation that juxtaposes two types of derelict sites to highlight the absurdity and unsustainability of urban development. At the same time, by following the life cycle of gravel, the work makes a poignant connection between the exploitation of natural resources and the unchecked wastefulness of urbanisation. The installation demonstrates the relationship between different construction materials, while the video projection reveals how these materials were quarried from their natural sites. The popular song that plays during the middle of the video further contrasts the barbarity of urban development with excessive sentimentality.
In 2003, the video of the installation was originally intended to be shown in Venice. As a multilayered installation, the work comprised a rebar structure wrapped in a green safety net. The bottom of the structure was a glass platform containing gravel, and the video was supposed to be projected on the ceiling of the installation. Unfortunately, part of the glass floor was shattered during installation. As a result, the work was never fully realised in the original Canton Express exhibition. Both Liu and curators agreed that restaging the accident that happened in Venice would not aid viewers’ understanding of the urban conditions of the Pearl River Delta region, therefore for the 2017 iteration, Liu has taken the opportunity to follow through with the original proposal. In addition, the idea of transitional space had always fascinated Liu and was an integral part of the original work. Liu’s idea was to use the rebar structure to direct viewers according to the specific conditions of the venue, but the installation ultimately did not allow viewers to walk through it and view the projection as Liu initially conceived it. The artist approached the 2017 iteration with the same sense of site-specificity; the current form provides a viewing experience that is unique to the conditions at the M+ Pavilion. The openings of the structure have also been modified to resolve the engineering problems that had prevented Liu’s idea from being fully realised fourteen years ago.
In 2003, the video of the installation was originally intended to be shown in Venice. As a multilayered installation, the work comprised a rebar structure wrapped in a green safety net. The bottom of the structure was a glass platform containing gravel, and the video was supposed to be projected on the ceiling of the installation. Unfortunately, part of the glass floor was shattered during installation. As a result, the work was never fully realised in the original Canton Express exhibition. Both Liu and curators agreed that restaging the accident that happened in Venice would not aid viewers’ understanding of the urban conditions of the Pearl River Delta region, therefore for the 2017 iteration, Liu has taken the opportunity to follow through with the original proposal. In addition, the idea of transitional space had always fascinated Liu and was an integral part of the original work. Liu’s idea was to use the rebar structure to direct viewers according to the specific conditions of the venue, but the installation ultimately did not allow viewers to walk through it and view the projection as Liu initially conceived it. The artist approached the 2017 iteration with the same sense of site-specificity; the current form provides a viewing experience that is unique to the conditions at the M+ Pavilion. The openings of the structure have also been modified to resolve the engineering problems that had prevented Liu’s idea from being fully realised fourteen years ago.
Canton Express: Art from the Pearl River Delta. M+ Pavilion, Hong Kong, 23 June–10 September 2017
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