Hosted by Prof. Nathan Widder (Department of Politics and International Relations, Royal Holloway, University of London) 

London-based, interdisciplinary artist and director Li-E Chen will be presenting the conceptual ideas behind her work-in-progress 'n-1' (2015 - 2016). The project is supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England. The project’s public programme of events includes walks, conversations, presentations, workshops, actions and digital experiments. 

‘n-1’ is a site-specific art project involving visits to 168 locations set out as squares on a Google map of Greater London, using the city as a stage and open space for the execution of Chen’s experiments. The squares are associated with the 524 propositions of Ludwig Wittgenstein’s ‘Tractatus Logico Philosophicus’, whose account of logical structure and the limits of language inspire the project. The themes of 'nothing' and ‘non-expression’ pervade Wittgenstein's Tractatus from start (Proposition 1.1: The world is the totality of facts, not of things.) to finish (Proposition 7: What we cannot speak about, we must pass over in silence.).

Chen's work investigates the condition of 'nothingness' drawn from the notion of silence, non-representational forms of expression, and both Eastern and Western philosophers and artists who explore these themes, including John Cage, Robert Wilson, Ludwig Wittgenstein, Tehching Hsieh, Harold Pinter, Samuel Beckett and the work of Improbable theatre company. ‘n-1’ develops further her ideas about 'thinking posture', a term she uses for the disposition of mind and body that affects one's ways of living, thinking, and artistic making.

Li-E Chen’s Presentation #1: thinking. space. silence would be of interest to anyone with experimental approaches through conceptual practice in disciplines such as performance, philosophy and visual art.

The event is free but with limited capacity, on a first-come-first-served basis.

To reserve your place and for any enquiries, please contact the project coordinator Gabriella Daris: gd@liechen.com

'n-1' is supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England and CPTRG (Contemporary Political Theory Research Group), Royal Holloway, University of London. Originally created at ]performance s p a c e [ in 2012/13, it developed through Improbable's Devoted and Disgruntled events in 2013/14.

www.liechen.com | Twitter @1212360 | #nminus1 #silence