“Wrinkle Theater” Fuxian Lake Residency – Guo Peng’s Solo Project
Invited by curator Luo Fei, I went to Fuxian Lake in Chengjiang, Yunnan at the early of 2024, supported by the “Dazhi Xianxian” guesthouse, to carry out a more than 20-day residency creation.
Fuxian Lake, located just 17 kilometers from Kunming’s Dianchi Lake, is a high-altitude, tectonic fault lake formed by the inflow of the Qing Shui River from the east of the lake into the Nanpan River, which then flows into the South China Sea. Dianchi, on the other hand, belongs to the Yangtze River system. Both lakes are at the source of major river systems—Fuxian Lake is in the South Panjiang system, while Dianchi is in the Jinsha River system.
According to legend, the Jade Emperor sent two immortals, Xiao and Shi, to the mortal world to capture the beauty of Fuxian Lake and bring it back to the Heavenly Palace. As they arrived in the southeast of the lake, the pair became so captivated by the stunning scenery that they forgot their mission and even their return. Day after day, year after year, they stood there, lost in the mesmerizing beauty, eventually turning into two stone peaks, which is how Fuxian Lake (meaning the lake that caresses the immortals) got its name. Fuxian Lake, once known as “Da Chi”(meaning Big Lake) in historical texts, covers an area of 212 square kilometers, making it the third-largest lake in Yunnan. It is a fault-sink lake formed around 3 million years ago during the Tertiary period due to intense tectonic movements.
The eastern shores of the lake feature steep cliffs, with erosion making the landscape especially dramatic. The Hatian Mountain Fossil Group on the east shore preserves well-preserved ancient marine fossils, providing a record of the formation of early ocean ecosystems.
In such a unique “landscape,” filled with historical myths and ancient geological changes, I began my residency, using various media and languages to peel away the layers of geography, history, legend, and social transformation. The project reflects on the forms of nature and life across different time and spatial scales, focusing on the history, geography, and cultural traces of Fuxian Lake and its surroundings. Using human presence as an anchor, I explore the intersection and boundaries of different existence modes, re-linking macro and micro experiences, and tracing ancient relics to reveal the figurative landscapes generated by multiple narrative perspectives and knowledge systems. Through the regeneration of images, videos, and audio, I aim to restore the spatial-temporal consciousness and sensory experience obscured by modernity, allowing myself to explore the intermittent transitions within the folds of time and space.
— Guo Peng
