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DOKYU
DOKYU, a group of artists, writers and historians that reconsider what it means to work with historical documents and archives in open conversations. Bringing together the practice of four artists, three historians, two writers and one curator, whose work has involved the use of historical archives, DOKYU attempts to critically reexamine conventional practices of history and offer alternate modes of writing about the past. It seeks to create a space of making, a way of writing, that cuts across the disciplinary boundaries of history, creative writing, and art. Drawing from varied fields such as documentary poetics, environmental art, history as theater and painting practices, among others, we embrace differences. DOKYU seeks to expand creative ways of interacting with historical documents through sustained interactions.
There are five stages to DOKYU:
Sandbox (January 2021 - June 2021)
In this stage, the 3 artists, 3 writers, and 3 historians gather and correspond online to introduce their work and begin collaborating. Pairings and trios of collaborative members were arranged in playful groupings where cross-pollination of ideas in progres occurred monthly. Results of these conversations and presentations were documented and shared via this website launched to the public in July 2021.
Workshop (July 2021 - December 2022)
This stage stimulated ongoing collaborations between the 9 artists, writers, and historians with conversations that question "documents" through intersecting methodologies. Continued online meetings occurred bimonthly for a period of one year supplemented with in person gatherings in Singapore to facilitate and organize interdisciplinary collaborations. Participants gathered regularly for intensive workshops, presentations and creation of overlapping ideas with DOKYU. Participants shared works in progress, received feedback from the group, and began preparation for collaborative writing and artworks in the form of book and exhibition proposals.
Birthing (January 2023 - December 2023)
Visual texts, process and creative documents to birth preliminary contents were shared with wider audiences. This included roundtable public talks at NUS-ARI and Yale-NUS College in Singapore as well as an article publication with ASAP/Journal. These spaces for discussion of the collective work of DOKYU reflect upon this project together with an expanded community of practitioners.
Constellations (January 2024 - December 2024)
Conversations intensify in pairs of open arrangements between DOKYU members. A constellation of works in progress will be shared publicly at MOCA HISHIO ANNEX in Japan. Onsite activations of the historical space will develop through process oriented creation. A roundtable talk at University of Tokyo will reflect upon the DOKYU project from interdisciplinary perspectives.
Bibliofilia (January 2025 – December 2027)
This stage is dedicated to the publication of an anthology of new works by DOKYU members.
There are five stages to DOKYU:
Sandbox (January 2021 - June 2021)
In this stage, the 3 artists, 3 writers, and 3 historians gather and correspond online to introduce their work and begin collaborating. Pairings and trios of collaborative members were arranged in playful groupings where cross-pollination of ideas in progres occurred monthly. Results of these conversations and presentations were documented and shared via this website launched to the public in July 2021.
Workshop (July 2021 - December 2022)
This stage stimulated ongoing collaborations between the 9 artists, writers, and historians with conversations that question "documents" through intersecting methodologies. Continued online meetings occurred bimonthly for a period of one year supplemented with in person gatherings in Singapore to facilitate and organize interdisciplinary collaborations. Participants gathered regularly for intensive workshops, presentations and creation of overlapping ideas with DOKYU. Participants shared works in progress, received feedback from the group, and began preparation for collaborative writing and artworks in the form of book and exhibition proposals.
Birthing (January 2023 - December 2023)
Visual texts, process and creative documents to birth preliminary contents were shared with wider audiences. This included roundtable public talks at NUS-ARI and Yale-NUS College in Singapore as well as an article publication with ASAP/Journal. These spaces for discussion of the collective work of DOKYU reflect upon this project together with an expanded community of practitioners.
Constellations (January 2024 - December 2024)
Conversations intensify in pairs of open arrangements between DOKYU members. A constellation of works in progress will be shared publicly at MOCA HISHIO ANNEX in Japan. Onsite activations of the historical space will develop through process oriented creation. A roundtable talk at University of Tokyo will reflect upon the DOKYU project from interdisciplinary perspectives.
Bibliofilia (January 2025 – December 2027)
This stage is dedicated to the publication of an anthology of new works by DOKYU members.
"There is this idea of staging."
"I wonder how much of that is true interest or if it’s because you work with archives."
"It looks so tenuous, the way it is set-up."
"I feel detached, like what you said. He’s the one with his eyes closed."
"I think of the incredible labour it takes to stage the military as totally secure but also benign towards people it’s not at war with."
"I am interested in how artists look at how stories are being recalled."
"I’m trying to document people’s lives that have gone undocumented in textual form."
"The name of the plant becomes a document."
"It seems like the Malays are the focal element in the Garden’s history."
