Touching Places Past and Present, 2026

Transcript

Touching Places Past and Present, by Cindy Chen, 2026, is comprised of five sculptures made from different coloured wood. All are approximately 70cm high including their plinths. The sculptures themselves are 6cm tall with a diameter of 55 to 70cm wide.

Upon entering, the five sculptures are specifically placed on the right-hand side of the gallery. These sculptures are similarly structured however the coin etchings at the top are all different, combining representations of colonial coins and Southeast Asian landscapes into the coin etchings. The physical positioning of each of the coins mimics the positioning of the countries which they correspond to on the world map. 

Focusing on the French coin, this particular sculpture is supported by a rounded tabletop, placed on two parallel panels acting as legs for support. The tabletop and legs are made of a black wood while the coin etchings at the top are a lighter brown colour, with wood grains visible. 

The face and the crown of the Statue of Liberty, as well as the word ‘France,’ is partially visible as they are underneath an overlay of a map, all of which has been carved into the surface of this wood. 

Cindy Chen says about her work, ‘the carved surfaces of these tactile sound sculptures integrate topographies of Southeast Asia to reimagine French, Spanish, Dutch and British colonial coins as sites of critical exchange between the past and present. Mountains and coastlines of Ngo’s, Santiago’s, Tan’s and my own cultural homelands of Mỹ Xuyên (Vietnam), Manila (Philippines), Medan (Indonesia) and Penang (Malaysia) disrupt portraits of colonial figures to foreground deeply entwined histories that continue to impact our lives.

A Qing Dynasty Chinese coin from the 18th century - the oldest in my grandfather’s collection - features topography from 廣寧 Guangning, my maternal ancestral homeland in China. This piece ties the origin of my family’s migratory journey to the moment we landed at Sydney Airport in Botany Bay through sounds of ocean waves that connect these places of belonging.’ 

These sculptures are interactive. Visitors are encouraged to touch the surface of the coins. As they do so, vibrations and sounds will emanate from the sculpture in response to the visitor’s touch. The vibrations are designed to be accessible for the d/Deaf and hard of hearing community. The sounds are recordings from waterways and coastlines across Sydney and Melbourne from the locales of each artist’s current home or studio.