About "Project Terrace @1431 Huaihai Middle Road"

Alice CHEN
June 12th, 2022

From June 2020 to August 2022, Alice CHEN, artist and wife of Consul General of France in Shanghai, launched and hosted a non-profit art project called “Project Terrace @1431 Huaihai Middle Road” through Positive Art Research Center (PARC) that she had put forward. She invited artists who work and live in Shanghai to 1431 Huaihai Middle Road, where the residence of the French Consulate General in Shanghai is located, to engage in artistic practice, research and exchange in a site-specific manner on the terrace of the residence.

Due to the limited duration of diplomatic tenure, it was made clear since its conception that “Project Terrace” would last for two years and consist of ten terms. One Shanghai-based artist/group was invited each term to create a work of art, and visitors were granted access to the residence by invitation for viewing. (Under normal circumstances, four viewing sessions were held during each term, from 15:00
to 18:00 on Saturday afternoons.) In addition, every term featured a “Terrace Chat” section, inviting experts and friends to conduct an open discussion on a specific topic, from which the main points were later extracted, edited and shared in written form.

The artists invited to participate in “Project Terrace” had to meet the following three criteria:

1. The artist must live and work in Shanghai;

2. The artwork produced must be related to this particular terrace;

3. The artist is encouraged to consider how the work is related to the concept of “positivity”; Furthermore, “Project Terrace” also hoped to help showcase the diversity of Shanghai-based artists.

Alice CHEN’s invitation process can be divided into three stages:

1. During project conception: sending invitations to familiar artist-friends (SHI Yong, YANG Zhenzhong, ZHANG Ding);

2. After project launching: dedicated to searching for and inviting artists with different approaches (YU Ji, YIN Yi, Jiangnan Stack, DeYi Studio);

3. Later stage: giving priority to female artists, especially from the younger generation (_ao_ao_ing ensemble, WANG Xin, DING Yun).

For an introduction to “Project Terrace,” as well as its methods of dissemination and documentation, please refer to the article Where to find “Project Terrace”? We want to share some wonderful things with wonderful you.

In terms of organisation and operation, through “Project Terrace,” Alice CHEN, who positions herself first and foremost as an artist, contemplated, practiced and experimented with an operating model of artist-led, non-profit art project that was relatively optimal in her view, given the practical limits she had to cope with. With “Project Terrace,” Alice CHEN looked to work with other artists in an equal and collaborative manner. The division of labour was that the artist was responsible for creating the work,
as well as installing and dismantling the exhibition, while Alice CHEN took care of the rest. There was no commercial arrangement between Alice CHEN and the participating artists.

The overarching principle guiding the funding of “Project Terrace” is: the funding sources must not affect the autonomy of artistic creation or that of “Project Terrace.” The basic operations of the project were primarily funded by Alice CHEN’s stipend. For other funding-related activities that she engaged in, please refer to her works A Thank You Letter, A Thank You Letter No. 33+2 and Form Ties with “Project Terrace”.

With regard to the tonality of “Project Terrace,” Alice CHEN is committed to pursuing a sense of warmth in the acquaintance, communication, sharing and exchange between people. That is, besides the artists and their works which constituted the core of the project, the effort to foster and provide a communication-supportive atmosphere and a gathering venue both online and offline was of
equal importance. To be more specific, from the aroma of cake served to the guests, to the small tables conducive to intimate conversations, from the style of the interviews and the spontaneous live streams, to “Terrace Chat” that took place in the private living room in the evening, with just a few friends attending and in a relaxing atmosphere, every detail was a conscious decision after careful consideration.

“Project Terrace” provided an opportunity for the participants to connect and communicate with each other. Some of them even became acquainted, started working together and even dating in real life. Many of these experiences and reflections were private and personal. In fact, everyone had different experiences and understandings, and each would have a “Project Terrace” of his/her own. The varying perceptions and interpretations are exactly what have shaped “Project Terrace” and endowed it with a life of its own.

“Project Terrace” should be seen as encompassing everything that the project undergoes and generates, past or future. It is co-created by everyone who comes into contact with it and still evolving.

(Translated from Chinese by XI Lihui)