A Field Guide to Getting Lost in the Southern Universe uses the colonial travelog as a way to connect historical archives and fictional writings, and launches a series of researches from the perspective of travelers. The concept of "Southern Universe" not only refers to the colonial gateways such as Singapore and Keelung in the early 20th century but also includes the colony infrastructures: ports, plantations, and railways. It connects the south of the empire in history and reframes them in the context of the Global South. The project uses guided tours to evoke collective memory and uncover colonial modernity, leading audiences to a sandbox universe in a parallel reality.
A Field Guide to Getting Lost in the Southern Universe, supported by C-LAB CREATORS Creation/R&D Support Program (2022).
Rikey Tenn/Art Critic
Rikey Tenn is the founder of the Nusantara Archive Project (since 2017), which is based on the shared history of Taiwan and Southeast Asia and its decolonization process. He initiated and co-organized the Workshop: Nusantara in Future Tense with Singaporean artist collective soft/WALL/studs in 2020. He was also one of the researchers and presented the Nusantara Archive (archive f) in The Secret South (curator: Nobuo Takamori) in 2020.
Photo Courtesy of Artist
Wu Chi-Yu/Artist
Wu Chi-Yu is a multimedia artist whose works include photography, film, and video installation. He delves into the lost and unestablished links among species, environment, and the technology that constructs human civilization, exploring the complex historical geography of Asia and the interdependence of various species through multiple narratives. His works have been exhibited at Times Museum, Guangzhou (2021); MoCA, Taipei (2020); 2018 Shanghai Biennale; 2016 Taipei Biennial. He was resident artist at Rijksakademie van beeldende kunsten (2014-2015).
Photo by Anpis Wang
