Naxilandia is a semi-fictional inquiry into the elective, empowered, and social nature of subsistence agriculture and its potential of resistance in the face of nation building. Recorded over six months in rural Yunnan Province, this multi-channel video installation traces the contradictions created as subsistence life encounters enclosure.
On the occasion of the 17th Congress of the People’s Republic of China in 2007, 30 years into the process of “reform and opening up,” President Hu Jintao pledged to extend agricultural modernization to the nation’s indigenous highland homes. Three or four channel video installation, variable size, 70 minutesThe visual montage in channels one and two is accompanied by a text channel that combines context along with personal narrative
Subsistence farming on the hills above the Yangtze River in Wumu
Tourism economies and forced development segment
The Earth Will Not Abide
The Earth Will Not Abide has been conceived as a research process, gallery installation and public forum, with specific relevance for both North and South America and China.
The research process draws on multiple disciplines to connect local experiences with global-scale transformations. The results are presented through written analysis, audiovisual documentation and focused interviews, but also through aesthetic experimentation. The research is ongoing and invites fresh input from farmers, academics, technical specialists and public intellectuals.
The gallery exhibition comprises a core of tightly articulated artworks, which can be expanded through the inclusion of local artists or the addition of new works by members of the initial group. The aim is to provide an immersive experience that incites curiosity and unleashes the imagination.