Dinu Li – Age of Transition

19 November - 18 December 2005

In Age of Transition, artist Dinu Li invites you to share the most profound visual experience of his life, when his family left Hong Kong and emigrated to the UK during the 1970s. Through an intriguing sound and video installation, Li revisits this period of his life and exposes the sense of anticipation and uncertainty that can occur when two different cultures meet.

Witness the transformation of our gallery spaces as you assume the role of Li when he was just seven years old, preparing to embark on his journey. You begin in a replicated version of his home in Hong Kong. The furnishings are minimal, the floor is covered with lino and a fan is whirring in the corner. A Chinese actress sings "Somewhere My Love" on the television.

Step inside the wardrobe and open the door onto a new world. This is the moment when Li and his family began their new life in Sheffield, UK. The visual contrast is immediate; the walls are covered with bold patterned wallpaper and there are heavy dark curtains hanging at the windows. There is a well-worn carpet covering the floor and a two bar electric fire sits before an old armchair. ‘Somewhere My Love’, otherwise known as the soundtrack to the western film Dr Zhivago, is playing on an authentic 1970’s record player.