Tsang Kin-Wah: The Infinite Nothing

[qcrisp]

I have been apprised of an art installation by the Hong Kong artist Tsang Kin-Wah, which has apparently been influenced by Ligotti. Ligotti is quoted, for instance, in his curatorial statement, here:

http://www.westkowloon.hk/en/whats-o...rial-statement

Here is a video presenting the installation:

YouTube

I thought TLOers might find it of interest, even if it's too late, now, to attend, and there would be, anyway, geographical difficulties for most of us.

[Pharpetron]

It certainly has an eerie, spectral quality but I'm not sure how Ligottian its vision of nothingness is. After all, there's nothing funny about the installation. There aren't any clowns or puppets to be found anywhere in the installation. There's nothing of the carnival laughter that's so essential to Ligotti's representation of the void, the 'infinite nothing'.

And the void as presented in the installation is peaceful and quiet, completely impersonal, yet the void in Ligotti isn't completely impersonal. It's impersonal, but in a curiously personal way, like a wooden dummy or puppet. And it's not at all quiet. It's actually manic in its loquacity: it's a dummy that chatters on endlessly about nothing. In Ligotti, the infinite nothing enjoys none of the repose that it does in the installation. It's a frenzy of awkward, clumsy, and ridiculous activity, as is to be expected from a manic void. And the void that the installation presents partakes of an ethereal beauty that stands in contrast to the strictly crummy and humdrum nature of Ligotti's void.

[Mr. Veech]

Quote Originally Posted by Pharpetron

It certainly has an eerie, spectral quality but I'm not sure how Ligottian its vision of nothingness is. After all, there's nothing funny about the installation. There aren't any clowns or puppets to be found anywhere in the installation. There's nothing of the carnival laughter that's so essential to Ligotti's representation of the void, the 'infinite nothing'. And the void as presented in the installation is peaceful and quiet, completely impersonal, yet the void in Ligotti isn't completely impersonal. It's impersonal, but in a curiously personal way, like a wooden dummy or puppet. And it's not at all quiet. It's actually manic in its loquacity: it's a dummy that chatters on endlessly about nothing. In Ligotti, the infinite nothing enjoys none of the repose that it does in the installation. It's a frenzy of awkward, clumsy, and ridiculous activity, as is to be expected from a manic void. And the void that the installation presents partakes of an ethereal beauty that stands in contrast to the strictly crummy and humdrum nature of Ligotti's void.

I think it depends on which "Ligotti" we're talking about. Personally, I felt the video did a great job of capturing Ligotti's void, at least as it is presented throughout such stories as "Flowers of the Abyss," "The Christmas Eves of Aunt Elise," and "Sideshow and other Stories." Nevertheless, I understand what you're talking about. Most of his stories seem to contain depictions of a more "manic void" - "Dr. Voke and Mr. Veech" being one of my personal favorites.

[aditya]

Quote Originally Posted by Pharpetron

It certainly has an eerie, spectral quality but I'm not sure how Ligottian its vision of nothingness is. After all, there's nothing funny about the installation. There aren't any clowns or puppets to be found anywhere in the installation. There's nothing of the carnival laughter that's so essential to Ligotti's representation of the void, the 'infinite nothing'. And the void as presented in the installation is peaceful and quiet, completely impersonal, yet the void in Ligotti isn't completely impersonal. It's impersonal, but in a curiously personal way, like a wooden dummy or puppet. And it's not at all quiet. It's actually manic in its loquacity: it's a dummy that chatters on endlessly about nothing. In Ligotti, the infinite nothing enjoys none of the repose that it does in the installation. It's a frenzy of awkward, clumsy, and ridiculous activity, as is to be expected from a manic void. And the void that the installation presents partakes of an ethereal beauty that stands in contrast to the strictly crummy and humdrum nature of Ligotti's void.

Legit thought I was reading a Ligotti short story, while reading your comment.

[Solitude]

Thanks for sharing this! It's particularly interesting to see Ligotti's work be "translated" into an installation work, and by someone within my region.

[qcrisp]

Incidentally, I thought I should mention that the existence of the installation was brought to my attention by Ling Gu (顾灵) who translated the essay I wrote on antinatalism into Mandarin for the Chinese magazine Wissen.

Her translation of the essay, with editorial commentary in preface, is at this link:

http://mp.weixin.qq.com/s?__biz=MzA5...%3D&scene=6#rd

I've already posted it a couple of times, but in case it was of interest to any among those who missed it, the original article is here:

http://www.litfmag.net/issue-2/antin...ht-experiment/

Ms. Gu informs me she is currently reading TCATHR.

	TCATHR The Conspiracy Against the Human Race

[BeelzeBob]

I really enjoyed your article, qcrisp. Don't know how I missed it before. Anyways, it's very well written. Thanks!

[Pop Alexandra]

Wow! Thanks for sharing. There's a significant Ligotti influence there, and I love it.
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Alexandra from Artys Transit