白色大樓計畫 White Building Project

白色大樓計畫 White Building Project

White Building Project, made by Chia-Wei HSU in 2016, is a series of videos in a collaboration with the performance artists who used to live in the White Building in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Cambodia gained independence in 1953 from the colonization of the French. Three years later, Vann Molyvann, who studied Architecture in Paris, returned to his country and was appointed as Head of Public Works and State Architect. He, therefore, opened the Golden Age and supervised the design of many of New Khmer Architecture. The team chose the 24-hectare land along the Bassac River and accomplished an ambitious urban planning project, including the multi-layers and low-cost residential houses and public buildings, such as the National Theatre Preah Suramarit and the Exhibition Hall.

In 1963, the White Building located in this area inaugurated. With the lowest price, it offered 468 units of residents including municipal officers, general officers and teachers. The team combined the style of French Minimalism and the concept of Cambodian traditional Stilt house and constructed this four-floor building along the river. The long arcade extends 325 meters. You can overlook the rive, no matter where you are in the building.

In 1975, the soldiers of Khmer Rouge occupied Phnom Penh, the citizens moved away, the White Building was left behind. The ideal of New Khmer Architecture and the Golden Age disappeared. While the Khmer Rouge was in power, 90 per cent of artists were executed as the traditional performance art was regarded as a symbol of the old regime. After the collapse of Khmer Rough government, the survival performance artists were called to live in the White Building. Being through the 50-year civil war, humidity, fire and lack of funds, this building eventually turned into a grey and worn-out residency for low-income residents with poor facilities.

From the past to the present, the White Building, performance art and politics were closely interwoven. Hus Chia-Wei made a series of videos in response to the White Building with the performance artists. With different places and different performance artists, the ‘performance image’ involving people and space was hence created in the context of the White Building.

白色大樓計畫是許家維2016 年的創作，是他與曾經居住在柬埔寨金邊白色大樓裡表演藝術家合作所創作的一系列影片。柬埔寨1953年脫離法國殖民統治獨立。三年後，在巴黎修讀建築的旺莫利萬(Vann Molyvann)回國，擔任公共工程部城市規劃與住房局主任，設計了不少劃時代的「新高棉建築」(New Khmer Architecture)。他們圈中了沿著巴薩河（Bassac）24公頃土地，實現了一個雄心勃勃的城市規劃方案，包括興建多層次、低成本的住宅和公共建築樓，諸如博覽館和國家大劇院。

1963年，位於此地區的「白色大樓」落成，並以最低的價位提供給入住的468個單位居民，包括市政府工作人員、教師和公務員。曾到巴黎專修建築學的萬莫尼萬和團隊糅合法國簡約風格和柬埔寨傳統高架屋概念，倚河而建四層高大樓，裡面長廊延綿325米，不論你身在哪個單位，都能眺望河景。

1975年，紅高棉(Khmer Rouge)士兵攻下金邊，市民被遷出城市，大樓因此被遺棄，新建築與新時代理想一起幻滅。紅高棉期間，由於傳統表演藝術被視為舊時代的象徵，大約有九成的藝術家在這段時間淪為戰火下的亡魂。1979年紅高棉政權垮台後，倖存下來的表演藝術家，受召集回到這棟大樓居住。經歷將近50年歲月、內戰、潮濕、大火和缺乏資金，大樓最終變為今日設施簡陋的低收入者居所，外觀破舊灰黑。

從過去到現在，白色大樓、表演藝術以及政治，三者緊密的無法切分，有鑑於此，許家維透過與表演藝術家的合作，拍攝了一系列有關於白色大樓的影片。這是透過不同地點與不同的表演藝術家，針對白色大樓的脈絡，結合人與空間所形成的“表演影像”。