Jingxuan Zhang

"The Material-Media Histories of Maralinga"

Section MS5, Joshua Woolford

Keywords: duration, exploitation, labour, hope, critical, identity, resistance

This performance focuses on the problematic lives of undocumented workers in Chinese restaurants after experiencing this harsh reality within Chinatown in London. It highlights the real struggles of workers who endure long hours and low pay. The performance focuses on the conflict between their desire for a better life and the current situation of oppression and hiding. The migrants anticipated the arrival of a better future and a new identity when moving to Britain, but instead received an unfertilised egg that could shatter at any moment.

Set in a simplified restaurant kitchen, the performer walks around with a pre-defined range of movement, placing the egg on their hand and manoeuvring the space until it falls and smashes, and then repeats this action. CCTV cameras record the entire performance which is then shared with the public. The piece confronts the repetitive tasks these workers perform and the mental stress they face due to constant monitoring and societal pressures.

This performance, as a medium, does not aim to depict the oppression of undocumented workers unilaterally or speak on their behalf. Instead, it encourages the audience to reflect critically on this group through simplified scenes and abstract movements.