A Visit about History and Time

Song Dong, a name that our professor mentioned a lot, yet, I got little concept or...say knowledge about. Not until we headed to the site, I realized what kind of artwork the artist had been doing-- 36 hand-drawn, wire-bound annual calendars.

It was on a Saturday morning, 2^nd of February, I went on a guided tour together with my classmates towards an exhibition called Song Dong: 36 Calendars. It was located at ArtisTree in TaiKoo Place.  We arrived a bit earlier than the report time of the tour, so 15 minutes was just enough for me to get a thorough look of the studio.

The show room was composed of cold colors, black, white and grey. Although the three colors are of the majority of my clothes, I love bright colors more, which is what I mentioned in the first gallery visit blog post. When most of the people were reading the words on a large board, the small tables put in the center of the room attracted me. They were small and covered with glass. As I was standing in a point distant to that, the tables were arranged very close to each other to me. Will it be possible for us to walk between the narrow gaps? Well, later will proof.

The month when I was born!

Soon, a staff member started our journey to Song Dong’s world. What the entire exhibition showing was the calendars drawn by Song Dong. From 1978 to 2013, he has been drawing calendars once a month. Presenting each with a sketch and a paragraph of caption, noting down history that touched him most.  This was Song Dong’s first solo exhibition. To me, it was a really good start. In my poor knowledge, there were various ways for artists to present their works. Sculptures, movies, paintings, I have never seen people using calendars. From then on, interest was raised.

It was the first guided tour I had in art galleries. I started with expectance. However, the staff member spoke a bit too fast. Every time when I was able to have a closer look on the sketch on the calendars, she had already led the others to another ‘month’. That was ok, cause I could enjoy the atmosphere of art more, on my own.

From 1978 to Feb, 2013, there were a total of 410 months. Walking in between the works was like time traveling. The opening of the McDonald’s, the found of Facebook, things or people that had or had no connections with us, were all recorded. Apart from this ‘public timeline’, Song Dong had his own immersed. He drew us images of the day when he stayed with his father, the dates he had with his wife, how he wrote his diaries as well as the birthday of his daughter. Among these, I got a few that impressed me very much.

Song used pencil to sketch the situation at that time vividly. Black smokes floating, seems mourning for the innocent lives.11^th September 2011, a day the whole world mourned. Hijacked planes attacked the Twin-tower. Within minutes, the building collapsed with thousands of deaths. I was 6, got only faint memory of this image. But Song drew it down. He described the event as: ‘A terrorist incident in the age of media, an opening of anti-terrorism.’The terrorists destroyed not only the tower, but also conscience. The pain and lost were delivered to the world along with the live-broadcast. To our TV cable, to our heart. No one dare to forget and the drawing refreshed our memories.

The atmosphere now needs buffer. I remember the diamond skull discussed in the first lecture of contemporary art. About the work, Song had a comment: the exhibition of diamond skull is over. What matters next is no longer about art, but the market of diamond.’Indeed, even in the lesson, will it boost the market of diamond is a topic that we have never thought of. Price always matters… Song Dong drew the skull in detail. The diamonds were ‘sticking’tight together. They were even shimmering under his pencil. The slide about this sculpture reappeared in my mind.

End of story of the ‘public timeline’, now starts the Song Dong timeline. In his story, what touched me the most was the calendar about the birth of his daughter. It was January, 2003. He was moved by that moment. And it was shown meticulously on the drawing. The gentle gaze he and his wife had on the baby, the hand he put on wife’s shoulder, everything is proofing the thankful heart he held. I can feel the happiness even without the description. He Was Having A Baby.

These were words I could barely hear from the guide: The small tables were calendars modified by 400 people. Participants were invited to add their own views on the calendars made by Song base on their memories towards the historical events. I appreciate this act. Song Dong didn’t care about the potential risk of people ruining his work, just hope to add another layer of history onto his work. I personally think this breadth of mind is rare among artists. I have never thought of reinterpreting artist’s work in action… Here is some of the reinterpretations.     

Not only Song Dong records history, I do it too, but in another way. I used to write letters to myself. Every time when I read the one I wrote a month of years ago, the important moments flash back to me. That surprise and happiness when you read those written for years were greater than any letters you have every received. What about yours? Do you record your own timeline?

Oh. The space between the tables were very wide, enough for us to pass through.

:D