We are excited to support Diane Zhou, Beatrix Chu and Daphne Xu, known collectively as 丝瓜集团Sponge Gourd Collective, as the 7th #slowtrain artist(s)-in-residence. The Sponge Gourd Collective will share with us the Harmonious Commute 跳出北京看北京, their journey "around the outskirts of Beijing's ever-expanding perimeter, documenting the displacement and profound changes along the soon-to-be-built high-speed rail lines connecting the new Jing-Jin-Ji region."
First stop in Sponge Gourd Collective's The Harmonious Commute
"丝瓜集团 (Sponge Gourd Collective) is a loofah for the future, a squad of green goons, a slimy surprise. We investigate urban transformation to explore Chinese futurities. With backgrounds in visual art, photography, anthropology, community organizing, film, and literature, we develop multimedia projects that broaden popular conceptions of China, to leave more room for the blurry spaces in between.
Our projects deconstruct unstable meanings of Chineseness and speak to Chinese youth and members of the global Chinese diaspora. Self-searching is a seed that sprouted this collective; as rapid development calls for a fluid, flexible future, our conceptions of identity too must remain open to flux."
Follow along on our Instagram starting today.
If you can, please donate to help support their residency!