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Rehearsing the Museum combines the idea of financial speculation with speculative fiction as an artistic tool, structured as a distributed cabinet of curiosities. Collaboratively scripted with the Taiwanese Beijing-based writer Zian Chen, the work follows on from Lewandowska’s two-year research project at the Asia Art Archive in Hong Kong. Filmed at KODE Museum in Bergen, Shanghai and Beijing, and containing additional archival footage, the narrative unfolds through a dialogue between two women whose diverse backgrounds and aspirations expose sensitivities around property development and the contested ownership of museum artifacts. They reflect on the origins of the market for contemporary Chinese art, the museum boom, and the increasing pressure western museums are experiencing from strong economies, such as China, to face post-colonial consequences, linked to unresolved local histories.
Comissioned by Randi Grov Berger, Entrée Bergen
Rehearsing the Museum 2018
HD 29’44”
Chinese with English subtitles.
Screening and Talk: Friday September 7th, 7—9pm Chinese Collection, KODE Art Museum, Bergen
Exhibition at Entrée Bergen 08.09—07.10, 2018
Script: Zian Chen 陳璽安 and Marysia Lewandowska 柳思雅
English to Chinese Translator: Boliang Shen申舶良
Film Editor: Sue Giovanni
Sound Designer : Robert Jack
Cinematographer, Bergen: Kieran Kolle
Cinematographer, Shanghai: Haoran Sunyue 孙岳浩然
Sound recording, Shanghai: Boyang Chen陈博阳
Stylist: Kuan Huang黄宽
Graphic Designer: Luke Gould
Film Advisors: Ian Knox, Eric Wear
Actors: Yiwen Wang 王一问 Future Museum Director; Liyun Zhang 张黎韫 Property Developer; Shao Qi 邵琪 Journalist’s
Voice; Boyang Chen陈博阳 Museum Owner’s Voice; Crystal Yu 余立珺 Cantonese Scholar’s Voice.
Co-producers: Randi Grov Berger, Helen Kaplinsky, Marysia Lewandowska, Yining Yang 杨逸宁
Locations: July Offices七月合作社, Phaédo上海空间 Shanghai, KODE1 Museum, Bergen
Additional Footage: Zhao Liang, Farewell to Yuanmingyuan, 2006; Stars Exhibition, Shanghai, 1979. Courtesy M+ Museum;
Public Records Office, Hong Kong; Zuqiang Peng; CCTV, 05.01.2013, KODE Museum, Bergen; waa (we architech anonymous) 2015未觉建筑设计事务所
English Subtitles : VoiceBox Multimedia