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M+ Sigg Collection, Hong Kong. By donation, © Deng Hua, Fu Zhen
On View
Mediatheque
Deng Hua 鄧華
Fu Zhen 傅真
The Scenery of Gu Qin 琴景
2009
In The Scenery of Gu Qin, Deng Hua and Fu Zhen pair a panoramic view of Beijing’s Forbidden City with the sounds of the guqin, a seven-stringed zither that has been part of China’s musical tradition for more than three thousand years. Tuning pegs are used on the strings of the guqin to achieve higher and lower pitches. Each time the pegs are tightened to create a higher pitch, the image of the Forbidden City flickers. Eventually the musical instrument reaches its highest pitch, the string snaps, and the image abruptly disappears.
The guqin was an important part of elite culture in China and it has long been considered a symbol of refinement and virtue. In this way, the work can be read as a playful comment on the endurance of traditional culture, as well as its sometimes fraught relationship to contemporary society.
The guqin was an important part of elite culture in China and it has long been considered a symbol of refinement and virtue. In this way, the work can be read as a playful comment on the endurance of traditional culture, as well as its sometimes fraught relationship to contemporary society.
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