Winkler Sylvia & Koeperl Stephan - Medicare & Xiao Wu

Since 1997 we are working together as an artist couple in the field of “urban interventions” which we are realizing in various places around the globe. Our projects usually develop from observations in public space and are elaborated site specifically.

The process of planning, implementing and mediating our projects provides us an unique insight into the individual areas and communities. It makes us getting involved into the everyday life of the spot and its inhabitants, which is an important part of our practice.

Our first stay in China in 1997 had a wide impact on our way of working. At that time we examined the provincial capital Kunming under the prognostics of rapid urban development and reflected these in various artworks.

Ten years later we had the opportunity to go to China again and we have worked for 3 months respectively in a village in the mountains of Yunnan and in the city of Chengdu.

Our production made in China is focussing on “the street”; respectively on what we find and encounter there. It is also “the street” where we preferably are doing our interventions.

The fundamental restructuring of the social life in China is accompanied by a ruthless reorganization of public areas. Here humans meet in their new, often unexpected, roles as deprived or privileged ones, as consumers or resourceful strategists in a restrictive system.

During our stays we have observed the strategies people are developing to deal with their everyday life. The mutual influence of the constructed surroundings and its utilization by the people was particularly interesting to us.

Xiao Wu

Chengdu, V.R.China 2007

After having been arrested by a police officer the notorious pickpocket »Xiao Wu« is handcuffed to the cable of a concrete mast. The police officer leaves the scene. More and more people start to gather around the squatting protagonist.
Finally, the credits start to roll.

We are re-enacting the final scene of the film »Xiao Wu« by Jia Zhang-Ke (1997). 

After having been arrested by a police officer the notorious pickpocket »Xiao Wu« is handcuffed to the cable of a concrete mast. The police officer leaves the scene. More and more people start to gather around the squatting protagonist.
Finally, the credits start to roll.

We get some handcuffs in Chengdu and search for a location similar to the one in the movie.
Sylvia handcuffs me, takes a picture and then leaves with the keys.

Just like in the movie more and more people start to gather – among them many children who are coming out of school. The circle of the onlookers gets smaller and a tight crowd starts to form.
As I am constantly looking down just like »Xiao Wu« I can see nothing but shoes. Several people talk to me in Chinese. A young man squats down beside me at eye level. I tell him in English that a friend will un-cuff me later and that everything is okay. Since he cannot understand me he takes off only to return a little later in the company of a young woman who speaks some English. »Can I help you?«, »What happened?«, »You want to make a phone call?«, »I call 110, yes?«. »Don’t worry«, I say, »my friend will come later«. She leaves and then brings me something to drink.

I can hear the subdued honking of cars through the crowd, and the street around me seems to be already blocked. My glance locks onto a man’s red cord slippers with the embroidered letters »USA«. The children look at me like I am some trapped animal and I wonder what kind of memory is
created in their heads.
Some of them start to touch the handcuffs. The young man from earlier wipes the particles of rust off of my hand, which had come loose while the handcuffs had been rubbing against the anchor of the wiring. One of the children says: »Good morning teacher!«

Like »Xiao Wu« - the antihero - I try to avoid all questions and looks, as well as any direct communication.

After roughly 45 minutes, a guard in a grey uniform fights his way through the crowd and, after a certain time, he pulls out a key ring from his pocket to unlock Chinese handcuffs. Simultaneously, two police
officers wearing black uniforms appear and instantly the guard returns the key ring back into his pocket. A club dangles before my eyes.
One of the police officers shouts at the crowd to disperse and orders the guard to unlock me. While trying to do so, the guard’s cigarette slips as he bows down. He is not able to unlock the handcuffs. The police officer shouts at the crowd again. Some of the people move back startled. He then gets his own key out of his pocket and unlocks me.
As I get up, I can see that some 200 people have gathered around the scene. The police officer takes the handcuffs, which are not allowed to be sold to civilians in China. I say: »thank you very much« and leave without looking back.