◦ the egg rack made a disclaimer, 2021
at domaine de boisbuchet, lessac
the egg rack made a disclaimer began series started in november 2020, and was developed further during chen's 2021 residency at domaine de boisbuchet in lessac, france, into a series of site-specific installations across the estate.
fantastical egg racks — precarious structures built to hold whole eggs — were installed in the most unstable positions the site allowed: balanced along a wire strung beneath the bamboo roof of álvaro siza's tea pavilion, held within a clay alcove of the japanese guest house, and set on a circular plate of ice floating on the lake, left to sink as the ice melted.
each structure holds an egg at the edge of failure, using precariousness itself as the material — a balance beam counterweighted with taut string, a wire arc just wide enough to cradle three eggs, a support that exists only for as long as the ice does. "my installations replicate the awkward moments in social events," chen has said of the series; "they offer a glimpse into tragic scenarios; they solicit tenderness; they predict broken hearts."
#01
#02
#03
#04
#05
#06
#07
#08
