In recent years, my practice has focused on early visual technologies and the landscapes along Taiwan’s borders. As the birthplace of early optical devices and visual instruments, Europe offers a unique opportunity to engage directly with the material culture and development of these technologies. My residency in Paris therefore centered on the brainstorming and filming of an experimental documentary on these ideas. The project took the Megaliths of Carnac in Brittany, France, and the Panorama Mesdag in The Hague, Netherlands as its main reference.

Additionally, while browsing through early documents, I discovered a strong correlation between the development of visual technologies and scientific methods of measurement and observation. This led to the creation of a separate work on the concept of measurement, filmed outside the International Bureau of Weights and Measures. In this piece, I examine the ideas of measurement, standardization, and adaptation. Through a structuralist approach, I forcibly overlay 2 systems of measurement, time and length. Who holds the authority to define a unit? Using my own body as a tool of measurement, I question how it might adapt to the standardized units of Western society.

During the residency at La Cité Internationale des Arts, I participated in several events across Europe, including a seminar at the International Short Film Festival Oberhausen in Germany, a group show To Undiscovered Lands at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts (KASK) in Ghent, Belgium, and the Festival for Different and Experimental Cinema in Paris. These platforms allowed me to present my work, exchange ideas with international artists, and discuss future collaborations. Cité primarily provides artists with space and time. However, it does not facilitate connections with programmers or curators. Therefore, personal initiative in seeking opportunities is essential - something I share here as a reference for future residents.

Author: Hsin-Yu Chen
Edited: Brix