“Drawn conversation accompanied by sunflower seeds” – a participatory performance/installation/talk by Siedl/Cao. We talk to people and let this talk being “recorded” on paper by a drawing machine that draws according to human voice. The sound of cracking sunflower seeds accompanies the conversation the whole time. It acts as a hyphen which connect our words together, as absorber of awkwardness, as fillings between the streams of thoughts, as a path to meditation or contemplation.
The very form of this work is an experiment. Instead of conducting a live performance in which we act as the main performers, having the boundary between us and the audience, we want the audience to become performers but at the same time being as they are. It is not plain talking because some people become highly aware of the fact that their voices are being “recorded”, their talks become an intentional performance, i.e., they become performers or composers. But it is at the same time not a performance in a traditional way, where people stylise their voices, their gestures, etc. At the same time, it is a sound performance where everyone joins in cracking and eating the sunflower seeds and using their voices to join in the conversation. Intentionally or unintentionally they also make a drawing with their voices.
Some photos from the exhibition at Heritage Space Hanoi, Salon Saigon and Then Studio in Hue 2019.
Photo credit: Linh San, Gregor Siedl & Ut Quyen
Cao Thanh Lan 