by Wuttin Chansataboot
(This page is under construction)
“Time” has been one of crucial elements in my artistic practice. My interest in the mechanism of time blossomed years ago when I stumbled upon the innovative non-linear narrative structures in some of Christopher Nolan’s early films such as “Memento” (2000) and “Following” (1998). For me, film editing is one of the most powerful tools to create illusions of time in the realm of moving image which led me to other territories of time-based media art. Since then, I have been trying to experiment with various forms of temporal manipulation technique through a diverse range of artistic mediums which allows me to investigate different approaches to the notion of time.
“The Ballad of Micro Phoenix”, the project I proposed for Foreign Objekt’s residency definitely relate to the concept of time and duration in some aspects. However, at this stage, it might be difficult to diagrammatically visualize the mechanism of time in this particular work. Perhaps, for me, this might be a good opportunity to revisit some of the artworks I have done in the past and try to thoroughly explore and conceptualize the temporal elements in those projects from different perspectives.
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Cross-Words (2021)
With respect to the theme of 2021 Nakanojo Biennale, “Para-perception”, this installation project consists of 2 identical sets of art forms like a pair of twins. One of them is installed in Nakanojo (Japan), the other one is shown in an exhibition space in Thailand during the same period of time. Though the twins will be separated and staying in different locations and time zones, they would still be able to interact and connect to each other remotely.
“Cross-Words” utilizes the form that people obtain information and comprehend various situations via the fluidity of digital text and image in virtual realm which inevitably seems to be a significant mean of communication in the epidemic epoch of COVID-19. The production of the artwork were involved with collaborations with local people and the biennale staff at different stages, e.g.; words and images exchange, writing short stories, making illustration for the stories, and creative coding. At some points, the artist and participating volunteers have to deal with an interpretation of unfamiliar languages.
In a 2000 Korean film, “Il Mare” depicts a love story that emerges from a continuous communication between a man and a woman through different time periods using form of letters in a mailbox. “Cross-Words” also play around with the concept of time travel by utilizing time difference between Thailand and Japan as well as sending and exchange visual message between the past (Thailand) and the future (Japan) through digital medium.
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The Contemplation on Temporal Essence embedded in Physical and Virtual Detritus of Skinny Red (2020)
"The Contemplation on Temporal Essence embedded in Physical and Virtual Detritus of Skinny Red" is a trans-regional cooperative multi-media art project created for the 7th Mediations Biennale in Poland. The word “Skinny Red” refers to a wiggly thin red line drawn from right to left on a grid-pattern paper on September, 9th 2020. Starting from 11:36:46 am, it took 5 minutes, 43 seconds and 12 frames (in 24 FPS mode) to complete the whole body of Skinny Red. Not long after its birth, Skinny Red was digitally scanned, then severed into 3 equal parts according to temporal dimension of its emergence. After the scanning and severance, the red line was partially burnt into ashes. By doing so, most of Skinny Red’s body no longer exists in physical realm but implanted forever in numeral system.
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Doppelgänger (2018)
“Doppelgänger” is a multi-media installation exploring how digital medium can manipulate reality and perception. By using custom programing, live-video stream captured by cameras at different frame rates were digitally sliced into narrow stripes vertically. The stripes were then arranged next to each other, one by one. The final result is a combination of short histories observed by the eyes of man-made machine.
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Perpetual Pilgrimage (2015)
Evolved from John Locke’s theory of personal identity overtime and Jacque Lacan’s concept of “Mirror Stage”, this particularly work, “Perpetual Pilgrimage” is a multimedia installation exploring the notion of self-awareness in a similar manner to Buddhism’s walking meditation. Stepping through each section of a tunnel-like structure, the proximity sensors hidden in the ceiling activate relays (electrical switch) to turn each red LED light strip on and off at different tempos. Simultaneously, the image of an audience being captured by a camera is fed through “Live Video Delay” application. Then, the delayed video image generated by the application is projected onto the rear projection screen at the end of the tunnel, in front of the audience. Theoretically, the lagged images repetitively appear within themselves eternally. Seeing the image on the screen, it is analogous to witnessing a digital chronicle of one's self, taking an endless journey through the tunnel to an unknown destination.
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16 x 9 Capsule (2014)
“16×9 Capsule” shows fragments of time and incidents taking place at particular locations around Bangkok. The camera observed different situations in various conditions, ranging from trivial moments in an ordinary day to crucial circumstances in political history of Thailand. Metaphorically, each place used as the background in the video is defined as a receptacle of temporal matters, exploring the Buddhist concept saying that everything keeps rising, standing and cessation. They eternally and inevitably change. Only memory remains as the evidence of their existence.