Work Title: I+0=I
Medium: Video
Year: 2023
Performers: ∅(phi) is a two artists group, by artist Angel Qin and Hanni Huang.
Sound Design: Siting Wang.
We perceive the self as a site. It reimagines the self-construction process as an ongoing site development, delving into female identity by incorporating a mathematical equation— 1+0=1, into a garment-making performance. The performance lasts 7 minutes and featuring 2 performers, begins with performer A wearing a metallic fishbone skirt symbolizing 'I,' while performer B (the constructor) represents '0.' The performance is the process of adding fabrics to the skirt and eventually turning it into a construction site.
The binary code consists of 1 and 0, and from this binary structure infinite possibilities are generated. In this equation, we want to consider '0' as a null set, a set of non-identical items instead of a single number. “I” represents the number 1, the letter "I" for self, and also the "Infinite" possibilities. The binary codes 1 and 0 are closely related to the practice of weaving. The first programmers were female engineers, and the first programming machine was the Jacquard print machine. Therefore, our work reflects on the liberation of females from this binary framework.
