INTERNSHIP

The eerie intermittent noises at the exhibition of Shu Lea Cheang’s 3X3X6 still linger in my ears. After two months of discussion in art or exchanges over the surveillance systems and its evolution in liberal countries with audiences across the globe, I can no longer ignore the surveillance cameras on the street, nor can I face the intent of tech companies and social networking applications at ease.

I am personally interested in topics concerning gender issues and gazes, and that’s why I would never want to miss the chance to apply for the internship program when I knew it was Shu Lea Cheang who would represent Taiwan in Venice Biennale.

From the beginning of the training, I could feel the devotion of the curatorial team and the staff alike during the whole journey. In the two-day training programs, we learned how to edit and interview with several experienced journalists from the Reporter, and curator Paul shared the origin and the very concept of the entire exhibition, and the process of his field work in detail. He also shared his research expertise, i.e. imprisonment and Gender Theory with us. In the intense three-hour workshop, Paul cared a lot about everyone’s opinions or questions, and he would do his best to discuss with all of us even if he might not be able to go through all the prepared lectures.

Moreover, the senior staff, Fan Wei, told us the history of Venice Biennale and Taiwan Pavilion, and artist Shu Lea Cheang coached us with our tour guiding. All their efforts allowed us to see how many people and how much precision it took to put on an exhibition. Everything from conception, administration, technical support to publicity has to be closely connected.

Tzu Xiu of the exhibition department took great care of all of us since our recruitment, departure, and arrival in Venice no matter how busy she was. She always wore a beaming smile and carefully taught us as much as she could. During the preview week, it wasn't until I was with her setting up for the event,, taking care of the performers and assisting   their makeup that I realized discussions between departments and units played a huge role even in trivial activities. Every joint should be accounted for with care. I am glad to learn a lot from her and witness the whole event to successfully come to an end from the ground up.

Our challenges truly began when curators and staff flew back to Taiwan. Even though I prepared my script, I was still quite nervous in the first few guided tours. Only when I was doing my job did I learn the attention span of the audience, the questions they might raise, and my strategic approaches to different audiences. The most interesting part was when the audience shared their experiences, discussed the topic, or showed their doubts about the artist.

When I met Taiwanese visitors, I would discuss current events or cases in Taiwan with them or talked about how Taiwan Pavilion ended up in Palazzo delle Prigioni. However, my experiences with European visitors were not at all alike. Many mentioned the relationship between privacy and consumer behavior or offered controversial cases in their own country. Some even told us that the exhibition deserved to be awarded the most in their mind and was on their must-see list way before they came to the Biennale for the fieldwork studies and the episteme behind the exhibition.

During the exhibition, there were many art college instructors, computer engineers or exhibition critics asking for more information for them to introduce this exhibition. One particular experience that impressed me the most was that some forty students were sitting on the floor watching the ten footages attentively, some making sketches or studying the frequency of the projection tower. They also discussed the controversy in these cases with us. It turned out that some of them were interested in gender and body politics, and thus chose this exhibition as their report topic. In the exhibition space created by Shu Lea Cheang, any discussion and questions were welcome. I especially appreciated that everyone had their feeling and perspective after watching the same clip. No one was eager to persuade others; rather, people just tried to feel the unique texture of this space which used to be a prison and interpreted the history of sexuality in their ways.

As time passed, we were able to tailor our tour content based on the audience we met, and even got to know different anecdotes from them. Some told us that Casanova was the first and only prisoner to escape in history after they visited his hidden passage in Doge's Palace. Some visitors from Hong Kong told me how Wechat had infiltrated their life. Once using it, they had no choice but to give up their rights and freedom. Some young visitors even discussed with me that people submitted their email addresses for a ten percent discount on online shopping. While they thought they got a discount, they relinquished their personal information and privacy. Through these discussions, I get to know more aspects of the exhibition and the problems different nations are facing.

The comments in the comments book showed great diversity from personal remarks, sovereign declaration, representations of the sexual images from the exhibition, assault or criticism on the exhibition to the responses from other visitors.

I am glad that this exhibition welcomed compliments and criticisms alike and worked as an authentic platform for communication. Artists are the media that help people reflect on the critical everyday life we neglected, and art is not supposed to serve any party under a democratic, liberal government. Art belongs to those who feel it.

After staying in the City of Water for two months, I gained insight into the sound and the ancient lifestyle of the city as well as the tastes of gelato, coffee, and desserts; I also made friends with the maintenance crew for the exhibition, got to know the local lifestyle and engaged in conversations with the locals, visitors, and docents in other national pavilions. Before bidding farewell, I always said, "I work in the Taiwan Pavilion right at the Palazzo delle Prigioni. Come visit me when you are free!" I feel most satisfied to exchange artistic appreciation with so many people, to reflect upon the contemporary art forms of expression and to know all the artists and their concepts.

On the last day of my shift, a familiar voice appeared, "Why are you here?" I looked up and found it was artist Jui Chung Yao, who just visited the Doge's Palace with his family and was on his way to take his kids to visit the church and Palazzo delle Prigioni where he used to exhibit his work of art. He still clearly remembered every detail of the building that he measured and investigated when the Taiwan Pavilion had just rented this venue for the first few editions of Venice Biennale. I said to him, "It is a pity that I didn't have a chance to visit the Doge's Palace. It seems that the longer I stay, the bigger this place becomes. How can people visit Venice in just two days?" He replied in a chilled tone as always, "There's no need to be sad. I've been here seven times, but this is the first time I get a chance to enter it."

Although I didn't throw coins over my shoulder in Venice as I once did in the Trevi Fountain in Rome, I knew for sure I will come back someday. The church chimes, noises from the boat machines, random singing from the gondola man, the moisture in the air and the unique feeling of my toes drenched in the puddles have all been etched in my mind. Venice has become part of me. Thank you, Venice, for staying with me this spring and summer. I hope all is well, and hope people are kind to you. You are the most special island that proves humans can keep in harmony with the environment throughout history.