We Watch Them To Be Ready For Their Arrival
C3 Contemporary Art Space . Melbourne
21 August - 15 September 2019
The nuns at the Abbotsford Convent once used this front room to make cakes for the visiting priests. In response to the site’s history, Zhou embodies shared experiences, reconstructing a version of the past that does not belong to her. By juxtaposing the labour of the nuns with that of Chinese immigrant women, Zhou draws attention to the invisible labour and love that these women give under unequal power and social structures.
-- The installation view at C3 -----------------------
The video in the installation
Medium: DVD. Length: 4'59'' in loop. Year: 2019.
The footages used in this video:
1, “Scripture and Cheesecake: Nuns Make Sweets at the new Skete Monastery,” The New York Times, published on March 14, 2013. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVwsevOPnP4&t=5s
2, “Cake Finishing Equipment – Cake Decorating from Unifiller,” Unifiller Systems Inc., published on March 17, 2012. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lPGYhOZDgc
3, “Robotic Cake Decorating – Food Robot,” Unifiller Systems Inc., published on September 14, 2011. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdLIRwdCSyM&t=5s
4, “Bakon Cake Decorator,” BakonUSA, published on September 25, 2012. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E86nuwQsPPk&t=7s
5, “Robotic Cake Cutting & Tray Packing – Smart Motion Robotics,” FANUC America Corporation, published on September 19, 2015. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wq9Occ8-wcg&t=27s
The photographic print
The digital scan of 35mm negative film. 2019.