18 ㎡(2021-2022)
“18㎡”的创作开始于陈嘉宁对陌生创作现场的不适:成都的天气、陌生的语言、火辣的饮食。这种不适应提醒他是以外来者的身份来到成都,也成为他和当地居民发生对话的基础。猪肉脯、单枞茶和牛肉丸是家乡的父母时常寄来慰藉的食物,也是陈嘉宁在成都数年间与家乡保持味觉和情感联系的媒介。他把这一媒介视作给当地居民的一份“礼物”,并以此在社区中发起和居民的交换。
八百块钱,是当地一个单间的月租费用。在和驻地的空间进行沟通后,陈嘉宁获得了一个用于发起对话的18㎡大小的房间。与此同时,他用八百块钱购置了家乡的食物,发起为期一月的礼物交换行动。在这三十天里,他从外来者成为居民,居民们也从对他的不解到谅解和感动,十八平米的空间也从无人问津的废墟变成一处温暖的房间。在2021年的冬天,他实现了在陌生现场的关系连接。
从2022年开始,陈嘉宁尝试走出18平米的房间,寻找让创作更深入地方的路径。
The creation of “18㎡” began with Jianing's uncomfortable encounter with an unfamiliar creative environment: the weather in Chengdu, the unfamiliar language, and the spicy food. This sense of discomfort reminded him that he had come to Chengdu as an outsider, which then became the foundation for his conversations with local residents. Pork jerky, Dancong tea, and beef balls were foods regularly sent by his parents from his hometown, serving as a medium for maintaining a sensory and emotional connection with home during his years in Chengdu. He viewed this medium as a "gift" to the local residents and used it to initiate exchanges within the community.
800 yuan is the monthly rent for a single room in the area. After communicating with the residency space, Jianing was given an 18㎡ room to use for initiating these dialogues. At the same time, he spent eight hundred yuan to purchase food from his hometown and launched a month-long gift exchange project. Over these thirty days, he transitioned from being an outsider to becoming a resident, and the locals went from misunderstanding him to feeling empathy and being moved. The 18㎡ space transformed from a neglected ruin into a warm and welcoming room. In the winter of 2021, he successfully established connections in an unfamiliar setting.
Starting in 2022, Chen Jianing began to explore ways to move beyond the 18㎡ room, seeking paths to make his creative practice more deeply rooted in the local context.
十八平米的家具志
18 square meters of furniture
这本小书记录了陈嘉宁在“礼物交换”期间的每日故事。
This small book records the daily stories of Chen Jianing during the "gift exchange".
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十八平米的人物志
18 square meters of people
这本书里记录了陈嘉宁和善良、淳朴、偶尔带着些狡黠和同情心的苏坡居民间发生的故事。
This book records the story of Chen Jianing and the kind, simple, and occasionally cunning and sympathetic residents of Supo.