Inside the Time
时间里
Miao Jing & Liu Chang Double Solo
Show 苗晶 & 刘唱 双人展
时间里
苗晶 & 刘唱双人展，Littles空间，成都
2018.3.10 - 2018.6.10
策展人：唐菉潞
展览信息
展览：“时间里”苗晶 & 刘唱双人展
地点：Littles空间，成都万象城
展期：2018.3.10 – 2018.6.10
策展人：唐菉潞
艺术家：苗晶、刘唱
主办：Littles空间
这是Littles空间开年的第一个展览，也是两位新媒体艺术家苗晶与刘唱首次以“时间”为主题的双人呈现。展览选址于成都万象城的小酒馆（Littles）空间——一个原本承载音乐与聚会的场所，在三月早春被转化为关于时间的沉思场域。
“今年春节有点晚，过完年就基本上是早春三月了，大地回暖，万物复苏。这是一个‘开始’的时间点。每个人都习惯在这个时间里寻找开始，计划未来。所以，Littles开年的第一个展，我们就以‘时间’为主题，做一个开始。”
策展理念
策展人唐菉潞在展陈中抛出了一系列关于时间的追问：
时间是什么？时间一直是宗教、哲学及科学领域的研究主题，但学者们至今也无法为时间找到一个适用于各个领域的准确定义。它就像空气，我们看不见它，摸不到它，但我们又无时无刻地能感觉到它——看手腕上的表盘、手机上的屏幕，看日月交替、春夏秋冬……
人常说从我们一出生，就在和时间赛跑，在有限的时间里按部就班，完成人生的不同阶段；也有人试图和时间抗衡，想把时间抓在自己的手里。时间里的我们，我们的时间里，不同的视角，会有着不同的解读和启发。总之，在人类没有找到虫洞之前，时间是不会停下来的，我们都在时间里，被动或主动地，任其摆布。
两位艺术家以各自的方式回应这一命题：苗晶以动态影像构建时间的循环与转化，刘唱以静态与互动媒介让时间可视化、可触摸。他们的每一件作品，都以不同的媒介处理时间的不同维度，将抽象的时间幻化成形，展现给观众。
苗晶：时间的循环与转化
苗晶是国内新一代新媒体艺术家中的突出代表，先后在北京、纽约工作，现居上海。他的创作通常专注于人在虚拟与现实世界中的体验和探索。此次展览带来了他最新的两件作品。
《渐 Transition 1.4》
单/双屏声音影像装置，与音乐人Jason Hou合作
2017
“渐”是一个时间概念，在中文中意指从一个情境向另一个情境的转化过程。作品引入佛教文化中的“轮回”概念，探讨临界状态中的转化与变幻——仿佛一个生命的完成，而另一个生命的开始。
苗晶参考了大量中国古代建筑、古塔、古门、法器、器物等元素，以系列3D动态图形串联成一部非线性叙事的影片，将中国古代文化中的美学元素静谧地安置在他创造的各式雕塑中。这些动态雕塑以均衡的旋转速度不断循环，静物般悬置于空间之中，在错综有致的运行中通向不同的门与道，转化其能量。这个抽象的时空隧道以其神秘的运转和温润的玉质光泽，透露出平衡之美以及自然哲学。
《O》
单屏影像，与音乐人Jason Hou合作
2017
画面中只有一个金属圆环以同样的速度和方向旋转。形态和色彩的改变不能阻止它惯性般的自转，像个时间的漩涡，配合音乐人Jason Hou的声音设计，静静体会时间的循环和变幻。无论外界如何变化，圆环只是兀自旋转，仿佛时间本身的隐喻——它不为任何人停留，也不因任何事改变。
刘唱：时间的可视与可触
刘唱的作品持续探讨自然、算法与时间的交织。此次展览呈现了她的《自然之流》系列及互动影像装置《随机漫步者-墨》。
《自然之流》系列
电脑生成动画，数码微喷版画，温湿度感应版画
2018
二十四节气的制定，源于农耕社会对自然的依赖和对时间的理解。刘唱的《自然之流》系列将农历的二十四节气抽象化为一个个相互关联的编织图案，像从时间里抽取出的24块碎片，藏着季节的信息。时间变得可视化了，蕴含着这一节气的气象数据和文化元素。
在这个作品系列中，她与成都丝网版画工作室“解忧堂”合作，特别制作了立春、立夏、立秋、立冬四幅互动版画（Reactive Screenprint）。画面经过特殊处理，会随着温湿度变化而显影——我们甚至可以“摸到”时间，通过触觉来获取作品携带的时间信息。
《随机漫步者-墨》
交互影像装置，定制软件（Processing），摄像头，屏幕
“闪烁的存在”系列，2016
这是展览现场人气最高的一件作品。当观众站在屏幕前，摄像头捕捉其身影，内置算法实时描绘出一幅抽象肖像。摄像头扮演着“画家的眼睛”，随机算法则充当“画家的笔刷”——两者协同工作，将人的形态逐渐演化为一幅抽象的图像。
与传统肖像画中被动静默的模特不同，在这里，观众成为与算法共同创作的合作者。可以静静站立，看自己的轮廓缓慢浮现；也可以移动、转身、离开——每一个动作都在改变笔触的走向。当你离开，屏幕上留下的痕迹会慢慢模糊、消散，很快被下一位参与者替代。没有一张肖像被永久保存，每一次观看都是一次无法复制的发生。
现场回响
展览开幕当日，Littles空间人流络绎不绝。《随机漫步者-墨》成为全场焦点，观众在屏幕前驻足等待自己的肖像缓缓浮现，人与机器的即兴共创引发阵阵惊喜。刘唱与苗晶在现场为观众解说作品，将展览空间变成一个关于时间的对话现场。
媒体评论指出：“他们的每一件作品，每一种媒介都有着处理时间的不同形式，把抽象的时间幻化成形并展现给观众。”
关联项目
同年5月，苗晶与刘唱合作的“博物幻生”项目在上海衡山和集展出，呈现了苗晶与Jason Hou合作的《博物柜》系列声音影像装置，以及与Franklin Zhu合作完成的在线博物馆“博物幻生”。随后，“博物幻生 II”在重庆利物因生活美学店呈现，展出《渐》声音影像装置以及《闪烁的存在》系列中的《随机漫步者·墨》与同名艺术家书。
Inside the TimeMiao Jing & Liu Chang Dual Solo Exhibition, Littles Space, Chengdu
March 10 – June 10, 2018
Curator: Tang Lulu
The first exhibition of the year at Littles Space, Inside the Time marked the first dual presentation by new media artists Miao Jing and Liu Chang exploring the theme of time. The venue—a space typically hosting music and gatherings—was transformed into a site for contemplating time in early spring.
The curatorial statement positioned the exhibition around beginnings: "After Chinese New Year, it's early March. The earth warms, everything revives. This is a moment of 'beginning.' We're all accustomed to seeking beginnings and planning futures at this time. So for Littles' first exhibition of the year, we take 'time' as our theme—to make a beginning."
Curatorial Vision
Curator Tang Lulu posed a series of questions about time:
What is time? Time has long been a subject of inquiry across religion, philosophy, and science, yet scholars have yet to find a definition applicable across all domains. It's like air—invisible, intangible, yet we feel it constantly: glancing at our watches, our phone screens, watching day turn to night, seasons change...
From birth, we're told we're racing against time, completing life's stages within finite limits. Some try to resist time, to seize it in their hands. Inside time, we exist; inside our time, perspectives shift. Until we find a wormhole, time won't stop. We're all inside time, willingly or not, at its mercy.
Both artists responded in their own ways: Miao Jing constructed cycles and transformations of time through moving images; Liu Chang made time visible and tangible through static and interactive media.
Miao Jing: Time as Cycle and Transformation
A leading figure among China's new generation of new media artists, Miao Jing has worked in Beijing and New York and is now based in Shanghai. His practice explores human experience in virtual and physical realms.
Transition 1.4
Single/Dual-Channel Sound-Video Installation, in collaboration with musician Jason Hou
2017
"Transition" names the process of moving from one state to another. Drawing on Buddhist concepts of reincarnation, the work explores transformation at thresholds—the completion of one life and the beginning of another. Miao Jing incorporates elements from ancient Chinese architecture—pagodas, gates, ritual objects, vessels—constructing a non-linear narrative through 3D dynamic graphics. These suspended forms rotate at constant speeds, channeling energy through different doors and paths. The abstract time tunnel, with its mysterious rotation and jade-like luminosity, reveals a beauty of equilibrium and natural philosophy.
O
Single-Channel Video, in collaboration with musician Jason Hou
2017
A single metal ring rotates at constant speed and direction. Changes in form and color cannot interrupt its inertial spin—a time vortex, still and relentless. Whatever changes externally, the ring simply spins on, a metaphor for time itself: it pauses for no one, alters for nothing.
Liu Chang: Time Made Visible and Tangible
Liu Chang's work continues to explore the interweaving of nature, algorithm, and time. The exhibition featured her The Flow of Nature series and the interactive installation Random Walker – Dripping.
The Flow of Nature Series
Computer-Generated Animations, Digital Prints, Temperature-and-Humidity-Responsive Prints
2018
The twenty-four solar terms emerged from agrarian society's dependence on and need to predict nature. Liu's The Flow of Nature series abstracts these terms into interconnected woven patterns—24 fragments extracted from time, carrying seasonal information. Time becomes visible, embedded with meteorological data and cultural elements.
In collaboration with Chengdu screenprint studio HappyTown, she created four interactive prints—Beginning of Spring, Beginning of Summer, Beginning of Autumn, and Beginning of Winter. Treated with special pigments, the images transform with changes in temperature and humidity. We can even "touch" time, accessing its information through tactile sensation.
Random Walker – Dripping
Interactive Installation, Custom Software (Processing), Camera, Screen
Flickering Existence Series, 2016
The most engaging work at the exhibition. When viewers stand before the screen, a camera captures their presence as an algorithm renders an abstract portrait in real time. The camera becomes the "painter's eyes"; the algorithm becomes the "painter's brush"—together, they translate human form into an evolving abstraction.
Unlike traditional portraiture where the sitter remains passive, here the viewer co-creates with the algorithm. Stand still and watch your likeness emerge; move, turn, leave—each gesture redirects the strokes. When you depart, the traces slowly blur and fade, soon replaced by the next presence. No portrait is saved. Each viewing is unrepeatable.
On-Site Response
At the opening, Random Walker – Dripping drew sustained attention as viewers waited for their portraits to emerge—improvised co-creation between human and machine eliciting delight. Both artists were present to discuss the works, transforming the space into an ongoing conversation about time.
As one critic observed: "Each work, each medium handles time differently—transforming abstraction into form for the viewer."
Exhibition Details
Exhibition: Inside the Time – Miao Jing & Liu Chang Dual Solo Exhibition
Venue: Littles Space, Chengdu Mixc
Duration: March 10 – June 10, 2018
Curator: Tang Lulu
Artists: Miao Jing, Liu Chang
Organizer: Littles Space
Related Projects
In May 2018, Miao Jing and Liu Chang's collaborative project Museum of Illusions was presented at The Mix-Place in Shanghai, featuring Miao and Jason Hou's sound-video installation series Cabinet and the online museum "Museum of Illusions" created with Franklin Zhu. Museum of Illusions II subsequently appeared at Li Yi Wu Lifestyle Store in Chongqing, presenting Transition and works from Liu's Flickering Existence series.