Paul Chan

Pillowsophia (after Trinity)

1 July - 7 July 2017

The loose translation of Pillowsophia (after Trinity) is “wisdom of the pillow” or “wisdom of sleep or passing.” This animated sculpture is a new work in a series by Chan that he calls “breathers.” A breather is composed of a fabric body designed by Chan and attached to one or more specially modified fans. Incorporating techniques that combine clothing design, patternmaking, drawing, and physics, Chan composes the internal architecture of the body so that it is capable of exploiting the airflow and air pressure from the fans to create different kinds of motion. Simply by the way each breather is shaped and sewn, it can be animated and choreographed in ways unlike anything Chan, or anyone else, has created so far.

“I feel this particular breather belongs in a church,” Chan says. “Maybe it’s because I always imagined it as an altarpiece. It was made to express the drama and sorrow that seems always to occasion sacrifices of real worth.”