In 2012 MAAP exhibited Patty Chang & David Kelley’s ‘Route 3’ (2011), a 3-channel video installation. This work had been featured in the BEFF6 program in Thailand.
Set in Northwest Laos, the meeting point of the Mekong river, China and Burma, Route 3 (2011) sees celebrated U.S. artists Patty Chang & David Kelley sharpen their idiosyncratic collaborative project: the geo-political Asian road film. Neat in focus and beautifully composed, the work studies the spatial, environmental, economic and social impact of Route 3, a recently constructed trade route between China, Laos and Thailand. With Chang and Kelley tuned into local routines and rhythms, the sleepy and formerly self-contained mountain villages of Laos appear in some ways unaffected by this major development. However, there are many lurking signs that the region is being dramatically accelerated into modernity. The question is whether it is the will of the locals, or an inevitable transformation led by neighbouring economic growth .
Patty Chang (b. 1972) is well-known for her performative works which deal with themes of gender, sexuality, language and empathy. www.pattychang.com.
David Kelley (b. 1972) is an artist working interchangeably between photography, video sculpture and installation.www.davidkelley.org.
https://www.maap.org.au/exhibition/maap-space/patty-chang-david-kelley-route-3/