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The House of John: A Living Archive
2025
Single-channel video, 6’49’’
Dimensions variable
Art + Archive Artist Residency, Dorich House Museum, London
胡昊梅 & 胡昊研 (Cathy Wu & Fiona Wu)
2025
單頻道錄像，6分49秒
尺寸可變
多里奇故居博物館 (Dorich House Museum)「藝術＋檔案」藝術家駐留計劃，倫敦
The House of John: A Living Archive is a collaborative video work by Cathy Wu and Fiona Wu, created during their artist residency at Dorich House Museum. Located in Kingston, West London, this building was originally the home and studio of sculptor Dora Gordine and her husband Richard; the museum’s name, "Dorich," is a meaningful fusion of their two names.
During the residency, we interviewed John, our landlord during our exchange period in the UK, recording his presence and the life stories woven into his home. Now 86 years old, John is a man who deeply cherishes life, his residence reflects a scholar’s precision. His home is meticulously arranged, featuring antique furniture inherited through generations. With walls covered in family photographs and an extensive art collection, the space is saturated with personal taste, family lineage, and the vibrant traces of a long life.We discovered a subtle commonality between John’s home and the museum. Within the gallery walls, the categorized sculptures, personal belongings—even shoes and carpets—and the preserved decor of the late artist offer a glimpse into a life once lived. This sense of intimacy prompted us to ask: "Who is worthy of being archived?" and "Can we construct an archive for an ordinary individual?"
By juxtaposing Dora Gordine’s institutional collection with John’s lived-in domestic space, this work re-envisions the private residence as a "living archive," exploring how personal experiences can be recognized and documented with the same significance as a museum.
The House of John: A Living Archive是胡昊梅 (Cathy Wu) 與胡昊研 (Fiona Wu) 於多里奇故居博物館 (Dorich House Museum) 駐村期間共同創作的錄像作品。這座位於西倫敦金斯頓 (Kingston) 的建築，原為雕塑家多拉·戈爾丁 (Dora Gordine) 與丈夫理查 (Richard) 的家與工作室，館名「多里奇」(Dorich) 便是結合兩人名字而成。
駐留期間，我們採訪了在英國交換期間的房東 John，記錄了他以及他的居所背後的生命敘事。John 是一位熱愛生活、現年 86 歲的英國紳士。他的家井然有序，每個角落都經過精心佈置，並保留著許多承襲自家族的古老家具。牆上遍布著他與家人的照片，配合他豐富的藝術收藏，讓整個空間浸透著個人品味、家族歷史與滿溢的生命痕跡。我們在 John 的家與博物館之間，找到了一種微妙的共性。博物館中，已故藝術家被編號整理的雕塑、鞋履、地毯及藝術藏品，訴說著前人生活的樣貌；這種親密的感受引發了我們的思考：「誰才有資格被記錄成檔案？」、「我們能否為一個平凡人建立檔案？」
本作將多拉·戈爾丁的館藏與房東 John 充滿生活感的居家空間並置，將這座私人居所視為一座「活態檔案」，探討個人的生活經歷是否也能如博物館般被識別與紀錄，並將 John 的家呈現為一個充滿生命力與情感的場域。
Field Research Conducted During the Artist Residency at Dorich House Museum
於多里奇故居博物館(Dorich House Museum)駐留期間的實地研究