Solo Exhibition

Breaking as Fixing

25 October - 5 November

Daily Performance: 1-3pm

Applecart Arts​​​

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"Instead of fixing, breaking as a concept emerged during the community research phase. For me, breaking creates room for new possibilities, and allows people to take agency in reshaping the stories behind these objects. "

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In this exhibition, the artist and participants use physical actions—unravelling, breaking, mending—as metaphors for the ways we process memories, stories, and emotions. The daily objects become vessels, whether fabric wearables or ceramic containers, and become tangible embodiments of intangible experiences. And on various occasions, an extension of our identity. Through the delicate yet violent acts of deconstruction and recreation, the artist wants to experiment whether that complex mix of emotion, narratives, and self-identification that we attach to objects can be transformed by the actions, and whether destruction can be a means of creation.

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As the wearables are unravelled and weaved into new, the story slowly dissolves. By collectively and actively breaking down the object that once carried warmth, intimacy, and conflict, the artist and audience are engaged in a kind of catharsis—physically unravelling the emotional tensions tied to it. As the yarn is re-knit onto a frame, the material that once held one narrative is repurposed to construct something completely new and different. 

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With the ceramics, the daily cycle of breaking and mending furthers this exploration. Over time, the artist moves away from restoring their original forms after the repeated daily destruction, instead using fragments from various containers to create entirely new structures. This process transforms destruction into a powerful statement, challenging the tendency to hold onto past narratives that no longer serve us. The artist also stages a playground for the audience to engage with these cycles, inviting them to disrupt, participate, regain control of their own narratives, and take whatever they need from the process—both physically and metaphorically. Here, violence becomes a tool for release and renewal, actively working against the toxic pull of nostalgia. Through breaking and reshaping, the artist explores the possibility of transformation through brutality and destruction, whether new could emerge from the fragments of the old.

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Inspired by the tremendously moving stories the artist encountered in East Ham, fabric and ceramic weave a vivid picture of domestic life, reflecting both the intimacy and the turbulence that reside within it. Since project day one, Danlu followed the calling to investigate the local object culture of East Ham, an area that has undergone significant cultural shifts in the last few decades. As she explored different sectors of the neighbourhood, the artist encountered a range of deeply personal and complex stories, reflecting the community’s history and lived experiences. This inspiring yet challenging journey has profoundly influenced her choice of objects and materials for the exhibition, allowing her to honour these narratives while forging a deeper connection with the location where all the actions happen.

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Dear reader, as the text is being written at the moment, the project is still being continuously developed. As you are reading at the present time, the project is still evolving rigorously. Drive by the artist’s process-oriented approach, the project breathes and grows from day one until the closing of the exhibition, and beyond.

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