Hou Lidan, artist and curator, graduated from the School of Arts and Design, University of Central England, UK. The installation <Rut> was inspired by her residential experience in Wales in 2007 and 2008. Hou brings together her memories of Wales and her Chinese background to create this installation which symbolises journey and flashes of memory.
Curator & Artist
Nov. 2006 Graduated from the School of Arts and Design, University of Central England, UK, with an excellent Master of Fine Arts degree. Major: visual arts – the art criticism and practice.
Jun. 2004 Graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts, Hebei Normal University. Major: art education – oil painting.
Main exhibition planning activities:
Mar. 2006 Curator for “Around & About Project – Bournville Pirates” in Birmingham, UK.
Jan. 2006 Curator for planning the art exhibition of “Active Imagination Exhibition, International Project Space” in Birmingham, UK, together with a well-known Australian curator Sandra Bridie.
Major publications, art exhibitions and art activities:
Sep. 2007 Accomplished the artistic observation and study in 10 countries in Europe
Jan. 2006 Curatorial planning article “Black and White in China” was included in the “Active Imagination” of UK.
Jan. 2006 Series of “Back Shadow” were exhibited in Bournville Art Museum, Birmingham, UK.
Aug. 2004 The crayon of “Nan-kou” was selected into the “Selected Works from Chinese Young and Middle-aged Artists”.
May 2004 Series of portraits were selected as composite materials into the art exhibition of “Black & White” in Hebei Province.
Nov. 2003 The drawing of “Wooden Box and Bamboo Basket” was published in the national-level journal of “China Art Weekly”.
Nov. 2003 “A Collection of Hou Lidan” was published.
Oct. 2003 Admitted into the “Chinese Women’s Photographic Society”.
Description:
“Rut” – The trace of wheel left on the ground (Wales & China)
The installation - “Rut” - was inspired by my residential experience in Wales in 2007 and 2008. I bring together my memories of Wales and my Chinese background to create this installation – “Rut” which symbolizes journey and flashes of memory. This work mainly consists of 26 wooden boxes and a circular wooden backboard. The alternation of lights in 24 boxes symbolizes traveling through time. The flashing and bouncing visual images will bring the audience into the artist’s memory. The circular backboard stands for the sky, 26 boxes for 24 solar terms plus memory and human. All of these shape a model of ancient wheel. Each wooden box shows a different pattern, representing different state of chaos and confusion of memory fragments. These spiritual products of abstract thinking reflect entirely the continuation, break and disorder of memory. The mirror in the box in the middle of the circular backboard stands for human. This mirror reflects the audience and the world around us, establishing a subtle link between the audience and this work. A deliberately designed empty box stands for the unknown future and the past memory, full of mystery, quirkiness and curiosity. This work needs to be hung on the wall. While the picture on the front side of each box flashes with the frequency of controller, the bulb in the box is also consuming its life, until it is completely extinguished or malfunctioned. This process also constitutes the memory traces of short-term life of the wooden boxes. With the light bulbs going out (ending their lives), the memory represented by the wooden boxes have also obscured gradually, implicating the memory has been momentarily forgotten or lost. When the bulb is replaced, it lights up again. At this time, the forgotten memory will be aroused, rediscovered and recalled.
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