Rice, Sand, and What?
2019 (in process)
Performance/Installation
Glutinous rice flour, sand, water
In this performance/installation piece, an ancient “eco-friendly” mortar recipe is revisited: the mixture of glutinous rice, sand, and potentially other materials (brown sugar, burnt oyster shells) according to the region where it was used. This is the recipe the Chinese used to construct the Great Wall in the 1600’s. It is also used in Taiwan for the construction of residential buildings in the coastal villages. Once dried, this material stays extremely hard and persistent to all weather conditions.
Having seen the material as a child and fascinated by how simple yet efficient it is, Chia holds a nostalgic feeling towards this ancient eco-friendly mortar and decided to reproduce it to repair the cracks in local buildings. Living in a foreign city is the fruit of globalization, so as the fact of having access to imported goods (glutinous rice from Thailand); while Chia is also integrated as a local citizen, symbolized by the sand coming from Montpellier. The act of revisiting the recipe in France is an intention of leaving some traces of herself in the town where she lives, while the intervention stays humble, functional and with a certain goodwill.