Hello and welcome, this is Shiding and you are looking at objects(they are really just objects) that I’m presenting. Here is a little guide on suggested ways to view and hopefully enjoy my work. Before that, let me share some background about my ideas to help you better at understanding my work.

          While in school I realized that there are many limitations to human perception; i.e. there are colors we can not see, there are frequencies that we can not hear and there are things we can never imagine. The realization led me to consider the possibilities for expanding human perceptions. There are other ideas that correlate to mine, the sensasion beyond five basic senses is generally considered the sixth sense. Or in Buddhism, the third eye. But to me, the method of perception is irrelevant, I simply want to experience more from the world. By depriving one sense, other senses get enhanced, like blind people have increased hearing. Then, what if all five basic senses are inhibited? How are we going to receive information from the world? Will we find alternatives to the limiting basic sensory organs? Or on the flip side, what it’s like to live in a void of senses, a disorienting darkness? Unfortunately I have not yet found out. The above is my curiosity, and one of the things I like to think about. They do not directly reflect in my work, but rather in an obscure way. My ideal is to make an empty work, an object with the purest presence. Most of my objects are shower thoughts. Sometimes I can find traces of ideas and inspiration, so I’ll keep them updated once I find some clues.

          Moving on to the viewing guide. The instruction is my preferred way of looking at my own work, it does not hold any authority over other methods and definitely does not represent a standard. Most of my works have an immediate presence, and some of them serve as a trigger to a meditative experience. The triggers are there to provide a focal point, as I stare at the object, the world around me starts to become diffused and eventually disappears. Keep staring until the object disappears as well. This is the gateway I created for one to lose one’s self. 

          After the do’s let’s talk about the don’ts. I suggest that you not leave immediately, as my work is not stunning in complexity and craftsmanship. And try not to struggle with the concepts too much, I’ve put my ideas above, and they are rarely represented in my work. Or rather, they influence my shower ideas. But in case you find something interesting, please let me know. I would love to hear your thoughts. Sometimes a sharp third person perspective can help me have a better self understanding. Lastly, don’t be uptight. My desired atmosphere is a solemn, relaxing space where people can disappear into themselves. Being relaxed is very important as tension will only enhance our basic senses. Don’t be discouraged if you don’t “understand” the piece, it is not about anything. 

          Now let me share some of my working process. While I do not restrict myself into one practice, there appear to be a cohesive aesthetic throughout my work at the moment. Normally I would find the materials that I like and present them. The characteristics I appreciate in materials are the stiffness, weight and reflectiveness of the surface. So at the moment I primarily work with metal, glass and plastic. They interact very well with light and have a sense of elegance in them. And as a reasonable concern about the disconnection of my thoughts and my work. I have a working method of thinking a lot, but while working my mind stays cleared. It happens naturally and I prefer this method for some additional reasons. First being I mentioned I want to create empty work. This way of working helps me to prevent unwanted  contaminants. The work comes from the void and stays as the void. Secondly, being too caught up with ideas and seeking to express in the work usually takes away the experience of the work. That is not what I want. If there is a concept behind, I will make it as clear as the sky. Directness is the key, I don’t want any obstacles to prevent an understanding between us.  

This is all I want to say for now. If you have further questions or discoveries feel free to contact me at shidingchen@gmail.com. On my website here, I also have other projects that are either too ambitious to realize or limited by the pandemic. Thank you so much for coming. I hope you liked my works.