Paper, silk, ballpoint pen, 2-channel spatialized sound

Toma Peiu, Luiza Pârvu

A sculptural sound & text piece speculating on a fairy tale translation.

“The Golden Fish” is a fable about a kindhearted fisherman who becomes a khan. Disappointed in the decadence of aristocracy, he eventually decides to live and work in his village of old for the rest of his life. Referencing a widespread ritual of secondary school education in the socialist world, the tale is transcribed in cursive, over silk ribbon in the colors of the flag of Uzbekistan. The visitor engages both with a mass produced story-container – in the scanned version of the book; and with a multimedia, site-specific installation. By having to walk in circles and duck in order to read and to touch the ribbon with their hands and ears, to listen to the sounds of water amplified within the column, the visitor experiences distinct layers of meaning, referencing the process of folklore transmission. The piece is inspired by the alternative embodiments of the Aral Sea, and by questions about the promises made and legacies claimed by the emerging nation state.