SHADE OF HERBS

Guangzhou Qingping Traditional Chinese Medicine Market， located in Liwan District, Guangzhou, China，was a place for medicinal material stalls gathering in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Today, it is the earliest professional Chinese medicinal material market established in the central area of the metropolis in China. Merchants of medicinal materials from all over the country gather here, selling many precious nourishing Chinese medicinal materials. The business mode is mainly retail， wholesale as a supplement. At the same time, the market is also a place where local residents of Guangzhou buy New Year’s goods during the Chinese New Year, and it is a common memory of Guangzhou residents. Since it needs to store various medicinal materials and other goods for a long time, it is necessary to maintain ventilation and sufficient sunlight at all times. However, at present, its facilities have been aging, and the lighting of the space has gradually weakened. With the continuous increase in the number of merchants, the goods are stacked in disorder, and the sidewalk and rest space are gradually occupied.

We create a participatory performance space composed of the public and the light curtain installation by building a two-part light curtain installation that solves the problem of insufficient lighting and cargo storage while allowing the public to interact with the changing dynamic environment. The spatial negotiation between the public performers and the light curtain installation is regarded as a continuous process with no beginning and no end, constantly attracting the public’s attention to space and light and the enthusiasm for participating in the performance.

The first part of the installation consists of a drying box and photosensitive fibers. Change the original ceiling of Qingping Market to transparent material to increase the lighting of the space. Merchants can judge the current light intensity according to the color change of the photosensitive fibers on the drying box to decide whether to turn the switch of the drying box to dry or store the medicinal materials.

The second part of the installation consists of translucent gauze curtains and swivel chairs. The gauze curtains provide better lighting, and the public can change the position of the gauze curtains by turning the swivel chairs, so that the entire space can form different light and shadow changes. At the same time, the material characteristics of the gauze curtains can create a strong sense of stage drama for the interactive scene between the merchants and the public, thus forming a participatory performance space.