What Would You Hear If You Could? #1 她史

For eight years, across numerous countries, in borderlands, refugee camps, homes of migrant workers, temporary bedrooms and shelters, Xu asked women in situations of dislocation, "What would you say if you could?" Inside the trap of a “fly net” local to the artist’s hometown, Shanghai, the site-specific sound installation recreates the claustrophobia of women entrapped in situations outside of their control, unable to understand how they came to be here, and yet unable to escape. The installation reimagines a way for listeners to engage with foreign, unknown voices, and prompts listeners to open up their boundaries for empathetic and collective listening.

八年来，在十多个国家的边境地区、难民营、民工家、女性临时居所和庇护所中，艺术家与流离失所的女性交谈，“如果可以，你会说什么？” 艺术家将常见于家乡上海的“苍蝇网”改造成在地性声音装置，再现了女性被困于无法控制之地的幽闭恐惧。她们无法理解自己是如何来到这里，却又难以逃脱。此声音装置重新想象了一种让听众与陌生、未知声音互动的方式，促使听众突破她们的共情界限，进行一种集体倾听。