" IN BETWEEN": A Century of Imports from the Bund / Wu Wenbo

A Blue Fantasy: Light, Sound and Movement

The exhibition is staged in the century-old Merchants Guild Hall. Immersed in a wave of blue light, choreographed to the exhibition's title track, "Chasing the Waves", the space unfolds a multisensory narrative through sound, light and movement, interpreting the various stages of life and revitalizing the historic courtyard at night.

At the opening of the piece, the melody begins softly. As dusk descends, the lighting gradually awakens, simulating the afterglow of sunset spilling across the courtyard’s center and the eaves of surrounding architecture. With the gentle rhythm of the music, light slowly diffuses to envelop the entire space, while the reflected ripples of the “water surface” shimmer across the draped curtains.

With a crisp "ding", all lights fade to black. The music shifts into a youthful phase of life. From darkness, blue ripples of the Be Water lamp pulse across the ground, converging on the central sculpture, "In Between", which is illuminated gradually. The lighting rhythm remains calm at first, symbolizing the beginning of a life’s pursuit. As the music builds toward its climax, both ripple lights and spotlights accelerate in tempo, capturing the flux, confusion, and surging tides of life through the rhythmic interplay of illumination and darkness.

Toward the end of the piece, the tempo ease gradually, settling into calm and returning to a natural state of stillness. The lighting follows suit, softening and fading gently back to its original serenity.