A Circulating Installation of Winding Stream Party is a series of works, including a circulating water channel, related drawings, and installations designed for the exhibition. It includes the following concepts:
The first is “Winding Stream Party”. This is an ancient activity of literati, through natural or artificial water channels, the wine cups are floated on the running water for people to take. And this kind of device that uses flowing water as power also exists in other ritualized banquet activities, such as “Flowing Japanese Bamboo Noodles.”
The second is the concept of “circulating”. In industrial production, the circulating installation means a modernized production logic of economy and high efficiency. As well as, in daily cultural activities, it brings a kind of amusement that is produced by the continuous movement of objects, such as “conveyor belt sushi ” in catering, “railcar” in toys.
Third, the combination of “Winding Stream Party” and “circulating installation” means to establish a connection between ancient cultural activity and modern production methods. Although I call it “for the ancients”, the ancients may think this is an unrealistic and unnecessary plan. The main point of this connection is not to solve the problems of the ancients. On the contrary, strangeness and absurdity are interesting, such as modular, arbitrarily assembled channels and canned beers floating in flowing water.
The last, I call it “disegno”. The purpose is to reintegrate the “design” and “drawing” that are gradually distinguished in the history of English translation by tracing the original meaning of the Italian term “disegno”. And through disegno, a creative activity that uses both hands and brains, to think about the artist’s identity in the paradigm of contemporary art.
In this process, I tried to include multiple forms through the larger concept of “disegno for the ancients”. It can be in the form of sculpture, installation, painting, document, etc., or a hybrid of multiple styles, or the blurring boundaries between disciplines of art and design. I wish my work is a little useful but not very useful, and looks general but accompanying little strangeness. This attitude can be said to be a kind of “a countryman presents sunshine to the king.” Daily life becomes unfamiliar because of deliberate attention. We might get some fun from it and even inspire a certain self-cultivation.
《循环式曲水流觞》是一系列作品，包括了循环的水槽、相关图纸，以及因应展场而设计的装置。它包括以下几个概念：
首先是“曲水流觞”。这是一个古老的文人集会活动，通过自然或人工的水渠，将酒杯漂浮在流水上供人取用。并且这种通过流水作为动力的装置，也存在于其他仪式化的宴饮活动中，比如“流水素面”。
其次是“循环式”的概念，在工业生产中，循环装置意味着节约与高效率的现代化生产逻辑；在日常的文化活动中，它则带来一种因为物体持续运动而产生的乐趣，比如在餐饮中的“回转寿司”、玩具中的“轨道车”。
其三，将“曲水流觞”和“循环装置”相结合，意味着在古代文化活动和现代化生产方式之间建立一种联系。虽然我称之为“为了古人的”，实则古人可能觉得这是不切实际、多此一举的方案。这种联系的主旨不在于解决古人的问题，相反的，陌生感和荒谬性是乐趣之所在，比如模组化的、可以任意组装的水渠，以及漂浮在流水中的罐装啤酒。
最后，我称之为“素描”（disegno），目的是通过追溯“素描”这个意大利术语的原始意义，将素描在英语翻译的历史中逐渐区分出的“design”和“drawing”重新整合起来，并通过素描这个手脑并用的创作活动，思考艺术家在当代艺术范式中的身份。
在这个过程中，我试图通过“为了古人的素描”这个较大的概念来包含多种形式。它可以是雕塑、装置、绘画、文献等形式，也可以混合多种风格，或者混肴艺术与设计的学科分界。我期许我的作品是有点用处但不是太有用，看着一般却有点奇怪。这种态度可以说是一种“野人献曝”，日常生活因为被刻意关注而变得陌生化，我们则从中获得某些乐趣，甚至启发某种自我修养。
