Kai-Oi Jay Yung, 'Amongst Dark Trees, A Clearing', Gallery Guide

7/29/2019 Kai-Oi Jay Yung, 'Amongst Dark Trees, A Clearing', Gallery Guide

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KaiOiJayYung:AmongstDarkTrees,AClearing19thJan9thMar2013www.grundyartgallery.com

GrundyArtGallerysannual

communitiesandschools

exhibitionhasthisyearinvited

artistKaiOiJayYungtocreate

AmongstDarkTrees,AClearing.

This exhibition is a multi-sensory

exploration of uncanny

narratives in suffering, loss and

hope including videos, drawings,

and sound responsive light

works by Yung with elements

created by schools and the

wider public.

The four gallery spaces have

been transformed into a

stimulatory site that triggers

sensory interactions with the

viewer whilst moving through

transitional environments of

alienation, anxiety, hope and

possible inner clearing.

In video works, we encounter

voices of conflict and resolution

through an excessive

compulsive hoarder, trauma

psychologists and a satirical

stand-up comedian. In one film ameditation savant offers a

chance for viewers to join in

with contemplative guided

meditation, whilst disco lighting

is used to create a mesmerising

interpretation of psychotherapy

hypnosis.

Yung interprets various belief

systems - from scientific

chromatic healing treatments to

notions of the mystical energy

chakras.

In the clearing of the main

gallery space, we hear a

collective sound piece composed

from public recordings sent to

Yung of the monosyllabic sanskritsounds- ohm, yam, ram, lam

each linked to seven bodily

chakras and believed to purify

body and mind. The public is

invited to add harmonies and

interplay with this sound piece to

create a live harmonic mantra

that pervades the gallery, from a

semi-concealed confession booth.

These sounds unexpectedly

trigger a visual display of neon-

coloured light rays and patternsimmersing fellow viewers in

ambient warm light tones.

In response to Yungs call out,

the Mottos In Threadare

intricate hand-sewn mottos sent

in by people of all ages and

locations. This collection of

fragile, personal self-taught

wisdoms expressing

intergenerational saying

including Worse Things Happen

At Sea, by a 68 year old St Annesresident recollecting boats from

the West Indies bringing

bananas to Preston to a

beautiful grey horse called Titus

who chucked its rider and ran

off only to drown as the tide

rushed up under the sand to a

salvaged slip of a wedding dress

from a first marriage.

Throughout the exhibition are

intimate personal tasks which

invite the viewer share theirthoughts and make simple line

drawings of their most vivid

memories opposite Yungs

drawings which depict imagined

contraptions for self-hypnosis and

cure from mental and physicaldistress. A bodily drip composed

of an organ and Chinese Konghou

strings in A-PS Device Vii String

Dialysis Pointer connects the

patients body to a rotating disc

whilst heating bodily fluids to

measure thanatophobia (fear of

death) syndrome levels.

Anthony T. Morgan in On

Suffering, interview conducted

with the artist. On Suffering is

available in gallery and on

Yungs website


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Works

1/Lightinstallation:MaladaptiveScale

Lights, 44.5x77x16.7cm, 2013Composed of three sound responsive neon lights, alongside Passings, they respond to the viewers actions and

behaviours in real time and forge Yungs interpretations of the psychological EDMR treatment, subject of Events

of The Day. The brilliant red beam seek to embalm the space in warmth, intimacy and focus, whilst a second

green and third blue invokes compassion and release from Nigels claustrophobia. The sound sensitive lights

respond to the movement and stimuli both from the viewer and Nigels voice but lay inert until otherwise

triggered.

2/APlanforNigelVideo, 10 Minutes 22 seconds, 2013

A Plan for Nigel sequences the uncanny, unsettling account of Nigel, a severe ex-hoarder and accumulation of

four traumatic events that converged into the ultimate estrangement from his own psychological self and

physical surroundings. Following the artists investigations into psychosis and the unseen in the figure of SarahWinchester- Amnesia, A Rehearsal, Yung now points to the psychoanalysts role in her conversation with Nigel,

re-contextualised with expert insight from three psychologists. Yung directs an unexpected script that plays out

as each personage appears, framing the impetus of one mans dark sufferings into a coherent plot despite the

very separate interviews filmed in disparate timeframes, locations and contexts. The circular editing pre-empts

the wider diagnosis, treatment, ontological and scientific praxis of trauma, applying textbook generics to

accentuate the very vivid, breakdown of Nigels suffering. The visceral details of his experience seep the extent of

his implausible horror to the eventual cadence of viewer satisfied resolve and conclusive hope. Through the

editing timeline, Yung is afforded the tool to offer a conclusive present truth, sparing viewer from certain aspects

of Nigels unsavory story that he himself is unable to assuage from his memory.

3/EventsoftheDayVideo, 1Minute 6 seconds, 2013

Events of The Dayinverts the patient into role of healer in this annotation of trauma response therapy. Nigels

description of his prescribed psychotherapy treatment itself becomes mesmeric instigator for viewer to exercise

the presence of mindfulness within the gallery site and narrative. The light pulsations and patterns emulate the

instructional rhythmic techniques behind the scientific physiological sequencing of Eye Movement

Desensitization and Reprocessing (EDMR) treatment. Here though, they are re-enacted by the artists cheap disco

lighting and point to ubiquitous self-diagnosis and help toolkits through the absurdity of the disco light that

features itself in the sound responsive light installation Passings. However, Yung also activates the participants

senses, mirroring the hypnotic effects also examined in her Auto-Psychometric Suffering Device drawing series

and the individuals self-control of the healing process, suggestive of potential empowerment from mental

blockages through such medical procedures.

4/MottosInThreadMixed media, various dimensions, 2013

Yungs call out for Mottos in Thread- No Stitch Too Elaborate, No Letter Too Wonky! invited the public to

embroider, sew or knit their life motto into scrap fabric and embellish it with small trinkets. Previous projects Sock

Exchangeand Happy Stackingsimilarly offered opportunities to revisit lost or forgotten handcraft skills and

chance to salvage readily discarded materials. Mottos in Threadplays homage to the intricate needle works

created by women in concentration camps as witness to their suffering during Holocaust. These Mottos in Thread

offer legacy for the publics personal self-taught wisdoms and inherited habits- each stitch time for reflection, a

contributive gesture towards a collection of aphorisms and shared commonalities. The act of sewing, coloured

thread and details of each works links these tactile fragments to Nigels story of loss and trauma in A Plan for

Nigel. His compulsion to hoard and treasured sewing machine collection and items salvaged from charity shops

mirror the intimacy and historical value of the materials employed- such as a slip of a wedding dress.


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5/MemoryDrawingsYungs call out to schools and the wider public to send in drawings of their most vivid memories to be projected

onto the gallery wall. This is also an opportunity for visitors to contribute their memories by creating a simple line

drawing and placing it on the OHP for the next person to find.

6/TheAutoPsychometricSufferingDevicesDrawings on paper, 2013A series of twelve drawings depicting various hypnosis inducing contraptions. The imagined contraptions

hypnotise and entrance a patient suffering from deep rooted or surface physical and mental distress. The devices

vary in their operation, outcomes and purposes- some measure, record, others register and distract. Once

activated by the clinician, the patient enters an altered psychological state that pierces the source of

pain/displeasure mentally. Following two or three repeated intensive sessions, the individual experiences

appeasement and eventual eradication of any discomfort despite further external exacerbation or memory

triggering. Mechanism A-PS Device Vii String Dialysis Pointerobtains psychometric readings for thanatophobia

(fear of death) synodrome. It forms almost a bodily drip composed of an organ and Konghou strings, perhaps

connecting patients body to a rotating disc whilst heating the patients bodily fluids to measure the reading. Ix

Crossed Wire Contraptoris surgical, a burst of excruciating pain results from the patients molar interface with the

electrical impulses generated by the cross-wires, counterbalanced by the small stone- a regulatory re-adjuster for

hysteria. Triangular Discshumble simplicity dates to Man Rays Rayographs and may prevent verbal stuttering

whilst Iii Dial Trappers triggerspins the cog to boost serotonin levels. Fragile, cumbersome and comedic in

their impossibility- can the floppy handless glove ofVi Perception Slicerpermeate the episodic buffer and unblock

memory.

7/Lightinstallation:ElectricBlueandOrangeLusterLights, 135x3cm, 2013

Interaction with the neon luminous orange is believed to offer freedom, sociability and liberation from nausea

and alienation in relation to Nigels acts and neurosis, whilst the electric blue is symbolic of individual agency

independence and inviting viewer to open chest and mind, to share and project thoughts, desires and fears.

8/7Circles,Passings,PassingStation, Soundpiece, 9 minutes 16 seconds, 2013Yung made an international call out for participants to send in their recordings of them uttering the one-syllable

sounds of the Sanskrit Bija seed mantras lam, ram, yam, ohm. The recordings received varied in tone, duration

and pitch and were from people of all ages, backgrounds and locations. Yung edits them into a collective

harmonic voice piece pervading the gallery, interspersed with samples of instruments to consider variations in

scale and Pythagoras harmony of the spheres. 7 circles intermittently fills the gallery with the choruses and

vocals of the audience and further interacts with the sound-responsive light installation Passingsin real time. This

sound piece extends the artists examination of pathological phenomenon and how it manifests and locates itself

within the mind and physical body. The mono-syllabic sounds are believed to resonate with and activate the

bodys seven energy chakras when uttered aloud, purifying and balancing mind and body. In the gallery, this

links to the recurring mantras featuring in the video works and echoes the meditative rhythmic behind Breathe.

, Light installation, 2013, , wooden structure, fabric curtain and microphone, Mottos

In Thread, 2013

Passings, sound responsive light installation directly interacts with the viewers voice and transforms the gallery

into light waves and hypnotic pattern. From the discreet microphone in the Passings Station, the viewer may

outlet their personal thoughts, emotions and blockages, hidden from fellow viewers. This then triggers and

activates vibrant patterns of red, green, blue and white to dance across and animate the gallery space for all to

experience. Circular in sequencing, they reinforce the subtle reiteration of the chakras energy centres, and

enables the viewer to embed the gallery with their own stories or repeat the mantras from the 7 Circles voices.

Each expulsion of the inner breath becomes visual exhalation, making visible the sequence of actions and

consequences from one person to another and from internal to external.


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9/Lightinstallation:Corona Polyethylene, 50x50x50cms, 2013

Corona imbues Gallery Two as a pure and silent space for contemplation and mental clearing. The

globe sits quietly, subtly spanning the entire chromatic spectrum for the restful sensory absorption of

the viewer. Its ebbing glow emulates the circadian rhythms of the viewers breathing perhaps

quickened by Nigels anxiety or alleviated by Breathesmeditative trance. Each transient hue is

reminiscent of light and colour as a basic human need for sensory interaction. At once its perception-

softness, tone, intensity, stimulatory effect is shaped by the viewers individual physiological make-up

and how we perceive colour differently one to other. Together with the drawings, objects, the

chromatic light works converge the tensions and visual/contextual undulations addressed across the

four video works, transforming specific points in the gallery into space for sensory, mental and

physical clearing.

10/BreatheVideo, 8 minutes 49 seconds

Breathecontinues Yungs examination of our unrequited spiritual resolve and truth through quasi-divinatory

figures such as a Buddhist Monk- Ordained, Interview with A Tarot Master; Phillipe Camoin, creator of the

Tarot De Marseilledeck to a face reader and Feng Shui expert. In Breathe, onlookers become part of the

instructional video as they follow a meditative breathing exercise. The mesmeric, guiding mantra conducted

by a follower of Sri Chimnoi Meditation, herself a searcher, sat crossed-legged, looks out to the curious

viewer and invites transplantation into a timeless present. Focus on your breath imagine youre breathing in

infinite peace- chance to enter an elevated consciousness, towards divine soul-mind oneness. The associated

paraphernalia; candle, opulent carpet, lowly dubbed Ohm chanting- point to the bodys proposed chakra

energy flows and envelops viewer into possible warming mindfulness reinforcing Yungs sound interactive

light works- Passingsand Corona. The equally seeking onlooker may feel the river of joy coming into you,

they are afforded a much sought time and space to release confines of external time, to undo internal conflict

and outlet for blockages when you breath out, imagine you are exhaling all your sadness, frustration and

depression. The time spent offers reassurance that hope and meaning can be located from within love and

joy are always in your heart waiting for you to discover them. However, there is a disquietude threatening

exacerbation of our internal anxiety as we recognise such reprieve as a mere interlude to daily living, unless

greater transformation is risked throughout the way the societies organize themselves.

11/YouDontActuallyDieVideo, 16 minutes 16 seconds, 2013

WhatHappensWhenTheBankRunsOutofMoney Video, 6 minutes 42 seconds, 2013Film of comedian David T. Hyde who confronts viewer with personal, political and philosophical

satirical material related, challenging viewers optimism and propensity to see the silver lining in lifes

obstacles. His direct, raw and astute anecdotal scenarios are at once cutting social criticisms thrusting

viewer into difficult identification with unvoiced, repressed issues of contention concerning mortality

to family values, addiction, personality disorders and economic downturn. His elaborate perspectives

to self-imposed conundrums are energetic, bare expositions of the topical- allegories of Monopoly in

What happens when the bank runs out of money?to unexpected inverted aphorisms Its Not What

You Look At That Matters, Its What You See. Yungs re-edited sequencing mirrors the circular

monologue detected in the comedians retorts; dislodged from the usual live stand-up interchange, thedramatic and prophetic impetus of each delivery compounds uncomfortable viewing in style and

subject. Yung intersperses the very exterior rehearsed delivery of his self-scripted act with

conversation excerpts that reveal deeper inner conflicts, fears and fixations unrevealed to the

audience. The darker truths of howling and need for self-validation echoes existential preoccupations

of the art process and heightens the tragic of any ensuing humour or evasion from identification.


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12/DifficultThingWooden shelf, paper and pens, 2013

Yung asks What is the most difficult thing you have done? providing paper and pens for viewers of all

ages to share a life experience however significant or trivial and pin up for the next person to

discover.

OnSufferingEssay, 2013

A text based conversation on the subject of trauma and illness in relation to the body and mind

conducted by artist Kai-Oi Jay Yung with Anthony T. Morgan, lecturer, philosopher and researcher in

philosophy as applied to the field of psychiatry. Available at http://jayyung.wordpress.com/ or on

request to [email protected]

WithThanks

To the members of public, communities and schools who contributed Mottos In Threadand sound recordings

towards the sound piece 7 Circles. Schools include: Arnold KEQMS, St.Nicholas Primary School, Park SpecialSchool, Woodlands Special School, Devonshire Primary School and Our Ladys of the Assumption Primary

School.

Special thanks also extends to Anthony T. Morgan, David T. Hyde, Mo Murphy, Nigel, Shamil Wanigaratne,

Laura Kemmis, Helen Caird and John Holland.

AmongstDarkTrees,AClearingissupportedusingpublicfundingbyArtsCouncilEngland.

Documents

Kai-Oi Jay Yung, 'Amongst Dark Trees, A Clearing', Gallery Guide