2023
five-channel video and sound installation, 8:15 mins
Birth, Love, Work, Coming of Age & Death
by Siedl/Cao
The Fifth Cardinal Direction is a five-channel video and sound installation by the artist duo Siedl/Cao.
Expanding upon their critically acclaimed music-theater work of the same name — premiered at the Hanoi Opera House and subsequently presented in Rotterdam and Vienna — this installation reimagines their theatrical work within a new medium and spatial framework allowing a shift in the relationship between spectators and performer.
Despite the average 8-second attention span today, each video consists of a continuous shot, with the performer maintaining her posture for the entire 8-minute duration. The artwork invites the viewer to pause and to step out of the fast-paced, fragmented rhythm of contemporary life and to engage with the larger temporal structures of human existence.
At the heart of the installation is a solitary figure, whose age and subtle movements embody her humanity. Her voice, the sole audible element in the space, resonates with the essence of each life chapter, inviting viewers to contemplate the emotional and existential themes at play. The deliberate silence between each sound event creates a long arch of time, similar to that found in nature, such as the time between bird’s song or between dawn and sunset.
This video installation was exhibited at Manzi Art Space, Hanoi, February – March 2025.
Siedl/Cao 