HSIEH
PEI-TING
Coda, 2018
Video installation, single-channel video in an infinite loop, color, sound.
When people enter a movie theater, there is usually a set time structure that allows viewers to follow a timeline smoothly, from beginning to end. However, viewing video works in a gallery or other exhibition settings often provides a very different experience. These works are typically played on a continuous loop, making it challenging for viewers to catch the piece right at the beginning. They often have to wait or start from the point they first encounter, with the earlier segments being as elusive as the later ones, only left to be inferred from the content currently visible.
"Coda" can be seen as a response to this unique exhibition mechanism: it is a film that only has an ending. When viewers encounter it, they may perceive it as a film that has just finished screening. At this point, some may choose to leave; others might stay and wait for a replay; some might visit other exhibits and return later to see the film. However, viewers will ultimately discover that, regardless of how long they wait or how many times they return, the film always appears as if it has just ended. Since they can never experience the "actual film," perhaps, while listening to the closing music and watching the fabricated credits slowly roll, viewers can imagine various possibilities about the film. Thus, although it is a film that "never begins," its content may be constructed in the imagination of each individual viewer.
