“Ooh la la” at Studio Rouge at the Bund

The island6 art collective makes its solo debut on the Bund with  Ooh La La!, a colorful burst of dazzling LEDs, bright neon and interactive video.

The exclamation, an English bastardization of the French  oh là là, is used to indicate surprise, glee, commiseration, irritation, and just about any of the vast range of human expressions. In this show, Liu Dao seeks to unveil the human face of technology that run the gamut from cheeky to solemn; sultry to graceful; cute to aggressive. Liu Dao tells the story of our human experiences by infusing the cold circuitry of electronics with the warmth of sensory experiences.

We are frequently intimidated by the jargon and technicalities of the electronics that are taking over our lives, but to Liu Dao, technology need not be alienating. In  Ooh La La! the artists have incorporated it into the warp and weave of daily life. A collage of animated LED works each capture a little pulsing beat of a big city – for instance, in the intimate moment of checking oneself out before leaving the home, or again, in the long legs of a city dweller.

So at the end, after the cute, campy “ooh la la!” of surprise dies down on our lips, we are left to marvel at the softness, loveliness and humanity that thrive in Liu Dao’s electronic pieces. To Liu Dao, each tiny flashing diode is a beacon that pushes away the isolating heart of darkness in modern life.

From March 8 th to April 8 th 2012

Studio Rouge at the Bund. 17 Fuzhou Rd. Shanghai