Description

Secluded at sea, islands are thought of as places where utopias are born. If a utopia, an unattainable perfect world, is an island that cannot be reached, aren’t we constantly in water, endlessly swimming towards the ideal island in front of us?

This is a participatory project by artist Ting-Ting, Cheng during her artist-in-residency in Salettl, Vienna. It is a continuation of her research on islands as a symbol of utopia, exploring swimming as a means of becoming closer to our utopia, as a form of resistance, a way to survive, and a symbol of social movement.

During the residency, Cheng invited participants to picture their own utopias in a collective discussion, while she built a small island in the middle of a river next to Salettl as a symbol of utopia. At the live performance at the end of the residency, participants were invited to swim towards the island with items representing their ideal society. The items were located on the island after they arrived, becoming part of the utopia.

The process was documented and edited into this three-channelled video installation. Through discussing, imagining, constructing and swimming, Cheng considers the concept of utopia as a verb, a process in motion.

Workshop Description:
During this 2-hour workshop, inspired by her work The Moments When You Suddenly Remember You Can Swim, Taiwanese artist Ting-Ting, Cheng will introduce her practice and the work, talking about the starting point and motivation of the research. She will lead participants to discuss their relationships with water, swimming and the society where they live, and everyone will collectively build a utopian island together. The workshop will be mainly conducted in English. Anyone interested can apply to be part of it, with no age and gender limitation. However, limited spaces are available. Participants will be required to bring at least one small item that represents their utopian island to the workshop.