Chinese Whispers

During a two-month research residency in Wuhan (CN), Belgian/Italian artists Heremans & Dainotti immersed themselves in the realms of contemporary Chinese sci-fi, literature, history, and politics. Within this exploration, they reencountered a childhood game, called Telephone Game or Chinese Whispers, in which a line of children conveys a message, resulting in a playfully non-competitive and intimate miscommunication.

While playing this particular game, it creates an enclosed sonic space between the participants, bringing together notions of privacy, intimacy, resistance and trust. 

In contemporary Chinese society, the younger generations embrace an act of whispering, navigating between authentic identities and the creation of personas and avatars. Whispering becomes an act of resistance and, simultaneously, the creation of "other" and virtual spaces. This transformation into a symbolic form of communication exists at the intersection of language and silence.

This artwork by Heremans & Dainotti captures a delicate whispering that becomes the possibility/virtuality of a space, inviting viewers to take part in the game and reflect on the potential for creating a safe space between virtual and real.