RUINS OF THE INTELLIGENCE BUREAU
Hsu Chia-Wei (Taipei)
Schedule
The camera looks upon an erstwhile secret service site, located in the village of Huai Mo in northern Thailand. Here, the Taiwanese troops under Chiang Kai-shek temporarily worked for the CIA in order to obtain information on the Communist Party of China, during the 1950s.. Today, it is administered by the Thai army, repurposed as a stage for traditional Thai marionette theatre: We see a group of black-masked puppeteers – some of them were secret service informants earlier. Others currently serve in the Thai army.
While the camera switches back and forth between this stage and a recording studio, an off-stage voice narrates the ancient tale of the monkey general Hanuman, a story well known throughout Southeast Asia, leading the troops into battle and helping the prince return to the realm from which he was banned. Unlike the prince of legend, though, the veterans, exposed to the uncontrollable forces of geopolitics during the Cold War, are denied a return to their homeland.
By interlacing folklore and reality, documentation and fiction, the video installation RUINS OF THE INTELIGENCE BUREAU creates images for the complex identities, memories, and dreams of the people from this forgotten village.
Biography
Artist, filmmaker, and curator Hsu Chia-Wei is interested in the untold stories of the Cold War in Asia. His works often take on the form of films and installations that weave together reality and myth, past and present. Chia-Wei Hsu had solo exhibitions at Liang Gallery (2021; Taipei, Taiwan), at the Museum of the National Taipei University of Education (2019; Taiwan), and at the Mori Art Museum (2018; Tokyo, Japan). Hsu’s works were shown at several international biennials, among them the Busan Biennale (2022), the Aichi Triennale (2022), and the Asia-Pacific Triennial (2021).
Cast
Priest Atthaphon Sae Thian Old Soldiers Li Yong-Qing | He Yi-Xiang | Ai Lai, Ni Wu | He Shi-He | Ai Kua | Wang Bo-Jun | Wang De-Xin | Zhong Shan | Li Guang-Rong | Li-Yi-Ming | Zhao Zhong | Zhao Lao-Da | Ai Weng | Ai Huai-Ming | Wang Zhong | Zhang A-Mei | Zhang Yong-Qing | Wei Jia-Ming | Li Da Kum Nai Thai Marionette Noppadol Honglilikul | Kheewat SangSaun | Den Halert | Theeraphan Khamlai Music Chumpol Khunyotying | Wasan Bai-Ngewv | Piboonsak Vijittraka | Thaworn Hassadee | Witthaya Malathong | Khamron Suksai | Kiatthisak Phosiri Production Management Thailand Soifa Saenkhamkon Assistant Production Management in Thailand Chang Po Han Coordination Marionette Group Sasipimol Phajorntis | Direction Hsu Chia-Wei Assistant Direction Kaensan Rattanasomrerk | Camera Kaensan Rattanasomrerk Still Photography Anupong Chareonmitr Sound Editing Christian Cartier | Geoffrey Durcak Sound Mix Christian Cartier | Geoffrey Durcak Technical Direction Pascal Buteaux Picture Department Olivier Anselot | Aurélie Brouet | Jean-René Lorand Sound Department Blandine Tourneux
Info
Accessibility
Unfortunately not accessible for wheelchair users
Production & Realization
Producer Le Fresnoy - Studio national des arts contemporains | Production Le Fresnoy – Studio national des arts contemporains Director of Le Fresnoy Alain Fleischer Director of Production Jacky Lautem Production Manager Amélie Dubois Rehn Post-production Dept. David Chantreau | François Lescieux Equipment Support Le Fresnoy – Studio national, RED SNAPPER, Kantana Sound Studio Project Grant National Culture and Arts Foundation, Taiwan | Le Fresnoy – Studio national des arts contemporains is funded by the Ministry of Culture and Communication, the Région Nord-Pas de Calais, with the participation of the city of Tourcoing Technical supplies co-founded by FEDER (Fonds Européen de Développement Régional)
Funded by the German Federal Cultural Foundation | Funded by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media
