Song Dong- 'Waste not'
“It is about the relationships with the people and the objects… they hold memories and personal significance to each person…” –Song Dong
Over 10,000 objects in one space, with millions of personal understandings and approaches to be interpreted from each individual item. These quotidian objects- bottles, shoes, toothbrushes, TV’s, books, bowls and plates to name a few- have been organized and categorized into alarmingly neat rows and areas, arranged in ways that suggest a very deliberate, sculptural aspect to the work- which also highlights the very personal element in the work and the objects. The artist behind the installation is Song Dong- a Chinese contemporary installation artist, and this work; “Waste Not” stands as a representation of his upbringing and relationship with his family and mother. These relationships are communicated through these objects which were accumulated in the family home over a lengthy period of time- during a cultural revolution, which is reflected in the nature and mass amount of objects.
The installation involves a large-scale replica of his childhood house- a frame like structure, rendering the shape of the simple frame of the house. This feature is positioned in the centre of the work, and audiences are able to walk around it. In previous exhibitions, Song Dongs mother would sit in the house on a couch, and invited audiences to chat with her. The objects are situated all around the structure, stacked or laid out into extremely precise rows and sections, which are also able to be walked around. There is an accurate level of taxonomy involved in the set-out of the objects, as they are grouped together according to their function- bowls with bowls, shoes with shoes, stereos all together.
Walking through this mass of objects, the individual has cause to find a personal meaning within them. Everyone has grown up around objects and items like toys and clothes and books. So this adds an extremely emotive aspect to the work, as audiences can feel something personal towards what is displayed. To Song Dong however, this work was originally created as a sort of memorial for his father, and an aid for his mother. After the death of his father when he was younger, Song Dong’s mother fell into a state of despair and turmoil. One of the consequences of this was her reluctance to get rid of any objects or items in the house. Her unwillingness to throw out anything was also caused by the Cultural Revolution happening in china at the time- where this state of communism and civil unrest caused people to fear for their financial stability. “The result was a childhood surrounded by partially used soap bars, loose buttons, assorted buckets, scrapped fabric- all stockpiled and preserved as protection against future hardship…” (Journalist, MoMA). Song’s mother kept as much as she could, in fear of future economic downfall. And these are the items displayed in ‘Waste Not’.
So on a narrative level, this work tells a story. It tells a story of their family life through the objects collected- what they did, their interests and hobbies, and especially the cultural characteristics in their lives. It also tells a story of the artist’s mother, and her habits towards objects, which echo her response to the death of her husband. These objects also reflect the effects of a cultural revolution, and how they impacted on a household and a family. On a more expressive level, this work reflects ideas about consumerism in households, as the audience is caused to question how one could hoard so many objects, and how on earth would they fit all in this tiny, skeleton of a house. This work questions the need for mass amounts of items in a person’s life, and if this constant need to consume is really necessary. Personally, I also feel that there is a deliberate contrast between the frame of the house and the objects in the installation. The model of the house appears weak in structure, and presented in a bland or aged brown colour- possibly to suggest the fragile, or even traditional appearance of their home. This feature is in direct contrast with the objects around it- which are colourful, modern (usually) and solid. This relationship between the house and the objects draws upon ideas of consumer items or objects being the basis of a household- when it should be made up of sentimental values. It communicates the thought of this constant focus on objects or things being fixated upon in society and in homes. And also on a more immediate level, the work was initially created in an attempt to wrest Song Dong’s mother from the grief, following the death of her father. She collaborated with him to collect and organize the objects, so she felt a sense of purpose and belonging, as it also distracted her from her devastation. As previously mentioned, she also sometimes became part of the work, which brought the story of the objects and home into full reality.
‘Waste not’ as an artwork, incorporates numerous different concepts and themes. The artwork bestows many themes that have a frequent occurrence throughout Song’s works; themes such as home, family, change, his Chinese culture, and, perhaps a less expressive idea; consumerism and overconsumption. It is clear that ‘Waste not’ contains a theme in relation to consumerism and the obsession with material items in today’s society. And similarly, other works by the artist communicate similar ideas. In particular, “city of biscuits”, a work by Song Dong, aims to demonstrate these social faults of materialistic views, overconsumption and consumerism; and he achieves this through the materials used, the placement of the installation, and the overall concept and physical aspects of the work.
‘City of Biscuits’ is a site-specific installation or sculpture, with quite an accurate title- as the work is literally a model city, made up of over 72,000 different biscuits. The sculpture was in fact exhibited in department stores in cities including Hong Kong, Shanghai and Beijing, which adds to the general theme of the work. This incredible mass of biscuits has been strategically placed and sculpted into quite an accurate replica of a small city- including sky scrapers, roads, little harbours and buildings. It appears as a bright and playful structure, due to the colours and styles of the biscuits which generate a childish or juvenile sort of theme. However, this sort of atmosphere completely contradicts with the concept and meaning of the work. At the conclusion of its display, Song Dong invited the audience to come and eat the city- an action that played part in the artwork and its message.
This work has many different concepts that basically all link back to ideas of consumption. Biscuits are made to be eaten- they entice the viewer with their glazed coatings, thick chunks and creamy insides, bringing about gluttonous sensations of desire and want. This response from the audience is tapping into their feelings of consumption and materialistic states of mind. The fact that it was displayed in department stores is truly genius- being communicated to the prime targets of the work: consumers. The physical aspect of the work being a literal city made out of biscuits, also incorporates themes of consumption in cities and countries, and how much overconsumption occurs in societies. And we can see how similar ideas are emphasized in ‘Waste not’. This idea of overconsumption is highlighted by the lavish, tantalizing aesthetics of the sculpture, which exert feelings or ideas about excessive greed, and also the unnecessary luxuries that citizens indulge in. As well as this, the act of the audience being able to eat the work draws upon themes of overconsumption, as Song says; “If you eat too much then you could die…I call it the sweets beautiful poison”. In this way, we can see how the action of the city being eaten, encompasses the idea that there are consequences to consuming too much- and in society, this overconsumption of material items and products is having negative effects on the people.
Both of these works contain complex ideas that take some background knowledge or a good understanding of the artist’s views, in order to decipher them. Both ‘Waste not’ and ‘city of biscuits’ allow the viewer to interpret their own ideas or opinions about the artworks, which they can then relate to themselves- an aspect of Song’s practice that helps connect the viewer to the work in an intimate sense. Song Dong’s intentions for the pieces are consistent, and have deep meanings about family, home, material possessions and consuming in societies and cultures, all of which are themes that hold personal significance to the artist and the audience. Song Dong is leading a new age of contemporary art, and the works he creates evoke and inspire thoughts and feelings that have the power to change a person.