LIU Fang-Yi

Curatorial Perspective

The lost space under the escalator like the Basilica Cistern in Istanbul, Turkey. As part of the public water supply system, ancient cisterns were used to collect, store, and transport water. He then thought about how to create a comparison between this small plot of lost space and a magnificent underground cistern, transforming this space into a “sound cistern.” When sound, like water, flows from the external environment and is perceived by the human ear, the “cistern” and the human body become a “time machine.”

Creation Description

The first time he saw the deformed land under the escalator, Liu Fang-Yi may have felt a sense of mystery due to its equidistant steel girders and oppressiveness. What came to mind was a great hall with equally spaced columns like that in a fight scene from the Japanese manga series Berserk by Kentaro Miura. Could there be a real-world reference for such a setting? Doubtful at first, he finally found the Basilica Cistern in Istanbul, Turkey through an online search. This large underground cistern was built on the orders of Justinian the Great. As part of the public water supply system, ancient cisterns were used to collect, store, and transport water. He then thought about how to create a comparison between this small plot of deformed land and a magnificent underground cistern, transforming this space into a “sound cistern.” When sound, like water, flows from the external environment and is perceived by the human ear, the “cistern” and the human body become a “time machine.”