Earth | Human | Cosmos
Lucitopia Residency | Xi · Art Museum Generative Project 2021-2022 × KIMVI
Intro
My name is Kimvi. I am a British born Vietnamese performance artist and currently a lecturer of architecture at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University in Suzhou, China. From June until August 2022 I explored what it means to search for an authentic narrative in a temporary home, in the framework of a C – PLATFORM, Lucitopia artist-residency ( Figure 1 ) which took place in the wall-less open-air museum Xi, situated the valleys of the Zixi Qingliang mountain in Jiangxi Province ( Figure 2 ). Entering a place in which I am both foreigner and foreign, my intention lies in building a holistic cross-cultural bridge between the local villagers, the spaces and ecosystems they inhabit and myself as an artist. A sensitive observation and experiencing of the rural and natural environment formed the basis for initial encounters. Through the course of the residency and frequent interactions, a vernacular dialogue began to emerge. An experience relating to a characteristic of a place, and a process of informal communication and every day observations. A vernacular approached able me to relate on a more comfortable and personal level, to build an understanding of the culture that is specific to the people in the region. In particular in architecture and design where it is concerned with domestic and functional rather than public or monumental.