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“Arrested flight” of Phoenix

Translaboration in art production as (co-)translation

ORCiD logo with link | Monash University
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Abstract
The blended concept of translaboration aims to explore the reciprocal engagement of translation and collaboration in each other’s enterprises. This study conceptualizes Xu Bing’s art installation Phoenix from the translaborative perspective as an artistic translation of China’s social realities and examines how Xu performs his subjectivity as an ‘artistranslator’ during the translation. Furthermore, since the production of Phoenix involves various human and non-human collaborators, and can therefore be seen as a co-translation, this study investigates how Xu’s subjectivity is encouraged and restricted by other actors in their translaboration. It finds that human and non-human actors can enjoy equally active roles in translaboration and deserve the same level of attention, countering the general tendency in Translation Studies to center on the former’s collaboration on, instead of with, the latter. This study also reaffirms the epistemological effectiveness of translation in probing artistic processes and products, which could help enhance our understanding of translation, art, and their translaboration.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Translaboration in artistic production and/as translation
  • 3.Xu Bing as an artistranslator
  • 4.Phoenix as artistic (re)translation
  • 5.Translaboration with capital: Funds and investors
  • 6.Translaboration with labor: Construction materials and workers
  • 7.Concluding remarks
  • Notes
  • Author queries
  • Artworks referenced
  • References
References (72)
Artworks referenced
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