In April/May 2017 in the frame of the studio program artist Carrie Sijia Wang worked out a video titled Memories of a Sunday Afternoon.
2017 / Video / 4 min 9 secs / Looped
“A Sunday afternoon, a visit to the museum, where artifacts of the recent past are kept away in giant glass barriers for people to examine and reflect upon while being denied physical access.
A boat, powered by a primitive steam engine, super star of the First Industrial Revolution, now obsolete, drifts in a glass pond elevated way above the ground. Every hour on the hour, the engine is heated, and the boat circles around in water to put on a show. Barely holding itself together, and carrying the glory and horror of its past, the boat stumbles against the edge of the pond in circular motion, its sound resembling that of an old time film projector.” (Carrie Sijia Wang)
Carrie Wang reviews her participation in the Studio Program at the BERLIN ART INSTITUTE:
“I stayed for a month at BAI from April to May in 2017. It was my first time in Berlin and I am more than happy that I chose to spend it with Ralf, Stephanie and the other participants in the studio program.Ralf and Stephanie are both great artists, helpful mentors and warm humans. Throughout the month they organized artists talks, studio and gallery visits, on top of numerous group and individual critiques. They, along with some visiting artists, have provided informative and constructive feedbacks to my projects and helped me develop my concepts further. They are also extremely friendly and simply enjoyable to talk to.
The fellow participants in the studio program are equally amazing. My group back in 2017 was a truly international mix. We were about 10 people from at least 6 different countries. Though we were from different parts of the world, art, Berlin and BAI bounded us together. We supported our peers’ work, gave others our honest feedbacks, and some of us even collaborated on projects. It was extremely delightful to be surrounded by like-minded, brilliant young artists from various art practices and cultural backgrounds. Together we made art and also had a lot of fun.
One of the highlights during my month of stay was when all the participants went out and helped artist duo Various & Gould with their public art project “City Skins”. We went to the Marx-Engels Forum for a day and worked with Various & Gould to apply paper onto the iconic Marx and Engels sculpture. The end goal was to peel off the paper and make a duplicate of the sculpture with paper. It was a fulfilling day for us and an exclusive way for a first-time Berlin visitor to experience the city.
The time at BAI was refreshing for me. There I adopted a completely different approach to making art. Usually I would plan my project first and carry out the plan step by step. At BAI, I learnt to let go of my control a little and be inspired by the world around me. The project I did there was a fun, weird and ambiguous video featuring a toy steamboat I found at one of Berlin’s many flea markets. It is a special project for me that will always remind me of the wonderful time I spent at BAI and the vibrant city of Berlin.” (Testimonial by Carrie Sijia Wang)
We are happy that BAI alumna Carrie Sijia Wang got selected by the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University attending the Interactive Telecommunications Program (ITP), a two year Master of Professional Studies program! More information on the ITP GRADUATE PROGRAM Website.
Carrie Sijia Wang is a designer and multimedia artist based in New York. More information on the CARRIE SIJIA WANG Website.
