Calm
XU ZHEN®
徐震®
Production date
2009
Object Detail
Media
waterbed, mechanical components, carpet, crushed concrete, rubble and bricks
Measurements
installed approximately 20 x 600 x 400 cm
Notes
Part of a body of work exploring clichéd perceptions of the Middle East, Calm (2009) appears at first sight to be a pile of rubble, not unlike the landscape of demolished villages that surround Chinese mega-cities. This carpet of broken bricks and masonry could be the result of demolition, natural disaster, or war. As you look more closely, you realise that the pile is gently undulating; it appears to be breathing. Although arising out of a specific locale, a global flash point, we are prompted to ask questions about the pace of development internationally, and what is lost as a consequence.
Accession number
2011.062