Bend the Earth, Performance, Lanzhou/Hanchuan, China, 2020.

 

‘Bend the Earth’ is a durational performance carried out under the strict lockdown restrictions of the two artists' respective hometowns in China. It consists of two performances by the artistic duo, Hijack, presented side by side. Qiong Zhang’s performance took place in Lanzhou, a newly built residential area. As cars and motorcycles pass by, she stands at the bottom of a mound, holding a bowl of sand, jumping as high as she could, trying to get off the ground. On the other side in Hanchuan, Jing Xie jumps on a bed situated upon a large sand mound. As passersby calmly walk past during their daily exercise, she stomps and kicks at the bed violently to bury it into the sand and flatten the mound. The repetitive action of jumping, kicking, and destruction was inspired by the fact that during the pandemic, violent evictions occurred in different parts of the world. Violence against civilians and vulnerable groups under the name of law enforcement becomes commonplace. The management officials violently beat the crowd with sticks when enforcing the social distancing rules and preventing crowds from gathering in public spaces. Unlike jumping on a trampoline which is often connected with joyousness, the image of a sunken bed and a piece of sand one can't get rid of no matter how hard she jumps are connected with the demise to escape, and the falling lives due to the pandemic.