Archaeology of the contemporary

On a construction site, the artist took a lump of earth that she put on a table. A short text in Chinese invited anyone who wishes to take part in the artwork by taking a piece of the clod, placing it in the center of the table and writing their personal vision of the history of this earth.

The table, fitted with wheels is mobile.

From the site under construction, Delphine Richer moved through the city to the art center. First she was in contact with the construction site workers. Some of them took part in the artwork after which the artist moved along the streets, leting local residents as well as passers-by coming out of the metro station to participate. The artist made her way to the art district where art enthusiasts also took part. The artist concludes her journey in the Xiang Xishi Art Center where, addressing the audience made up of people who came for the event and passers-by who followed her, Delphine reads aloud the stories written by all participants.

This reading was the one and only reading of this text. The artist rolled it on a bamboo stick and sealed it permanently with a red ribbon. The earth was later cooked.

These elements became the archive pieces of this performance entitled “Archaeology of the Contemporary”.

Geographical context

Xi’An is the former capital of China during the Qin dynasty. It in this multi-millennial history city that we can see the impressive terracota army “Bimayong” (兵马俑), literally “Funeral Statues of Soldiers and Horses”, tomb of the Emperor Qin Shi Huang (end of the 3rd century BC).

Today, Xi’An like all cities in China, is experiencing a period of very fast development and transformations. On previously cultivated land, 30-floors residential towers suddenly arise. It is on one of these sites under construction that the performance “Archaeology of the Contemporary” starts.