With Winter rapidly closing in the opportunities for exploring Shanghai are becoming fewer, and the lure of my cosy, warm apartment grows stronger daily. Given this, every opportunity, no matter how minuscule, to venture out and take in more of this wonderful city are grasped eagerly.
It is because of this that I decided to check out an exhibition on ‘Time’ that I had heard of, on display at MixC Mall, not far from my apartment, and I am so happy I did.
One thing that I love about Shanghai is the art scene here. The unending, diverse assortment of exhibitions is a veritable feast for the senses. Every day are advertised new attractions meaning, unless you are dead-set on staying at home, there is no excuse for being bored.
The day was not ideal, but clear enough to make it to the exhibition without getting soaked. It made a refreshing change to not end up in a typhoon, a seemingly common occurrence during my outings, with the result being that it was pleasant but there were not too many people out-and-about.
Upon arrival, I was a little under-whelmed by the entrance to the exhibit. However, once I passed the doors into the first display, the sensation was astounding.
I had stepped into a long, darkened hallway, with lights and time displays cascading down its length towards me. The effect was literally breath-taking as I stood, transfixed, absorbing the atmosphere and the scene laid out before me.
Eventually moving from the first exhibit, I ventured further in. I should explain that the exhibition was laid out like a journey through a couples relationship, and all the changes it undergoes with the passing of time.
The next display reminded me of the “Get Smart’, ‘Cone of Silence’, used in the opposite manner. The room was dark and quite, with an array of round cylinders hanging from the ceiling at about head-height. It was only when I had my head inside each cylinder, that I could hear each sound (A selection from waves, to birds to calming, instrumentals), highlighting to me the ‘separateness’ of the monologue in each of our minds’.
Upon having my fill of sound, I moved deeper into the exhibition. From a pitch-black maze, guided only by illuminated arrows on the walls, to what appeared to be a children’s climbing frame, a pink room accentuated with feathery pink boa’s, a room of doors reflecting the daily choices we make, to one room demonstrating the many faces we present in order to hide our true selves, at each turn there was something new and different to see. A definite favourite for me was the red room of arrows with, written on each arrow, a barb spoken in anger towards a person’s partner. Seeing them depicted in that manner, highlighted for me the compounding negative effect such words, over time, can have on a relationship. Each seemingly innoculous comment adding up to create a devastating effect on our partner, and relationship.
As I wound my way through each room, I became more intrigued with how it’s creator(s) managed to visualise each relationship aspect, and how, over time, these form the basis of communication between ourselves and others. I had been questioning the exhibition’s name’s relevance, but this was clear by the time I reached the last room.
This room, forming the denouement to the exhibition’s narrative, fascinated me above all others. The room, which formed the exit to the exhibition, contained a bed of windmill toys framed by blue walls upon which were the words and expressions forming the cornerstones of every relationship, overseen by grey clouds suspended from the ceiling. But it wasn’t so much the artist’s creation that I found so amazing, but rather than patrons to the exhibition were encouraged to write a message somewhere on it, meaning that on nearly every conceivable surface, including the clouds, were people’s names and messages. It highlighted the impact this exhibition had on so many people and, as I added my humble moniker, I felt a sense of calm solidarity wash over me. Finally, content with the journey I had just experienced, I finally headed off, homeward bound.
If you are in Shanghai, I highly recommend giving this exhibition a look. The effect is incredible, the experience transformative and, once again, demonstrative of Shanghai’s burgeoning art and cultural scene. Well worth venturing out for on a cold Autumn’s day.