At first, the exhibition area looked like a real house of brick, covering 8 square metres. Actually, the house was made from photographs. Nguyen The Son, the exhibition author developed the 3D visual effect by using the technique of overlapping photographs.
The photographs depict life and living condition of workers at the Binh Duong industrial park. The work took Son a year to come to the place collecting photographic pieces and over 2 months putting them together.
"The colour and brightness of the photographs are so realistic. I was also impressed by amazing sound effects including snoring, water dropping, and even a singing voice. They help me to better picture the reality of life for the workers", said Nguyen Trung Minh, an exhibition goer.
According to the artist, 8 square metres is the minimum area per capita for housing during Vietnam’s subsidised economy. However, 8 workers currently live in such space at the Binh Duong Industrial Park.
Artist Nguyen The Son said: "My previous work used to convey urban-related subjects. But I set a challenge for myself this time. I stepped out of my comfort zone to experience life in industrial parks all over Vietnam. During my field trips to such places, I realised that most of workers share just 8 square metres. They also face living with the risks of sanitation problems. That encouraged me to depict the truth, but in a new way- through installation art".
8 Square Metres is also being shown at a communication project to raise public awareness about environmental protection. The exhibition will run until the end of this month at the Goethe Institute, Hanoi.
