Unbinding objects: exploring the practices of naming and jointing things

Chen, Y.-L. (2021) Unbinding objects: exploring the practices of naming and jointing things. PhD thesis, University of Reading. doi: 10.48683/1926.00118397

Abstract/Summary

The aim of my thesis and practice is to examine how an artistic and literary practice can reconfigure our human relationships with objects, so that we a) have a richer and more caring relationship with things, and b) can imagine alternative present and future environments. ‘Unbinding Objects’ refers to the joint objective of my thesis and practice, which is to challenge the normative perceptions and relations that are produced through a human-centric behavior towards objects. My thesis discloses the unstable identities of subject and object, I then respond to and exacerbate this unstableness through my practice. For example, there is a supplementary relationship between artwork and artist which I exploit within the process of maintaining my practice in the space of the gallery. The relationship of replenishing organic and inorganic materials within the exhibition timeframe, exposes our accustomed relationship to objects as restrictive and proposes instead a more active and networked engagement between viewer, artwork and artist. My thesis explores how Anthropocentric thinking frames objects and limits them through identification, definition, and allocated purpose. My practice responds to these limits through seeking alternative paths and enabling a more dynamic encounter between human and object, as well as the mechanisms behind the making visible of art. The thesis culminates in a call for humans and artists to unbind us from the processes by which humans are bound to a certain way of viewing the world and objects through naming, grammar and framing artworks. Therefore, my practice produces a new relationship with things through collective interpretation. I provide alternative access points to my writing and artistic process to enable a situated experience when encountering the text/artwork.

Item Type	Thesis (PhD)
URI	https://reading-clone.eprints-hosting.org/id/eprint/118397
Identification Number/DOI	10.48683/1926.00118397
Divisions	Arts, Humanities and Social Science > School of Arts and Communication Design > Art
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