Forma

Sung Tieu – Exhibition at FormaHQ

Moving Target Shadow Detection
Sung Tieu
Exhibition at FormaHQ
19 November — 3 December 2022

Sung Tieu’s film Moving Target Shadow Detection takes us on a journey through the architecture of the infamous Hotel Nacional de Cuba, where a new form of sonic warfare was born. Back in 2016/17, several US diplomats suffered from inexplicable headaches, pain, ringing ears and cognitive difficulties. These unresolved aggressions were by no means the only instance with similar forms of sonic warfare appearing in China, Europe and Washington D.C. They became known as the Havana Syndrome — a major theme in Tieu’s practice looking into the psychological dimension of warfare, acoustic weaponry and its relationship to Cold War ideologies.

After its commission for the 2021 Frieze Artist Award, the film toured to Germany and Austria and now returns to London. Tieu’s exhibition at FormaHQ is the first physical presentation of Moving Target Shadow Detection in the UK and will be running between 19 November until 3 December. Join us on 18 November, 6-9pm for a screening and in-conversation between the artist and Sam Thorne.


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Moving Target
Shadow Detection

Exhibition Dates

19 November — 3 December 2022
Open Wednesday — Saturday, 11am — 5pm

Private view
Friday 18 November 2022, 6.00 — 9pm
Screening at 6.30pm followed by a conversation between Sung Tieu and Sam Thorne
No booking required

FormaHQ
140 Great Dover Street
SE1 4GW London
Map

Moving Target Shadow Detection
Sung Tieu
Exhibition at FormaHQ
19 November — 3 December 2022

Sung Tieu’s film Moving Target Shadow Detection takes us on a journey through the architecture of the infamous Hotel Nacional de Cuba, where a new form of sonic warfare was born. Back in 2016/17, several US diplomats suffered from inexplicable headaches, pain, ringing ears and cognitive difficulties. These unresolved aggressions were by no means the only instance with similar forms of sonic warfare appearing in China, Europe and Washington D.C. They became known as the Havana Syndrome — a major theme in Tieu’s practice looking into the psychological dimension of warfare, acoustic weaponry and its relationship to Cold War ideologies.

After its commission for the 2021 Frieze Artist Award, the film toured to Germany and Austria and now returns to London. Tieu’s exhibition at FormaHQ is the first physical presentation of Moving Target Shadow Detection in the UK and will be running between 19 November until 3 December. Join us on 18 November, 6-9pm for a screening and in-conversation between the artist and Sam Thorne.

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Moving Target Shadow Detection presents a detailed reconstruction of the interior of the Hotel Nacional de Cuba in Havana, the site of the first-known instance of sonic warfare, and the incident to which the mysterious set of medical disorders collectively termed ‘Havana Syndrome,’ owes its name. First reported by US government officials in the Cuban capital in 2016, Havana Syndrome includes a range of unexplained symptoms from nausea, fatigue and memory loss to brain injuries resembling concussions, thought to be caused by covert sonic weapons.

In Tieu’s film, footage leading from the hotel’s lobby through to an occupied hotel room is shown from the viewpoint of a small flying mosquito. Rendered as nano-drone camera footage, these images analyse the architectural and technical skeleton of the hotel, speculating on how the attacks could have taken place. The film was presented at Kunstverein Gartenhaus, Vienna and Sfeir-Semler Gallery, Hamburg, earlier this year.

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Established in 2013, the Frieze Artist Award provides an emerging artist with the platform to debut an ambitious new commission on the occasion of Frieze London. Recipients of the Frieze Artist Award include Himali Singh Soin (2019), Alberta Whittle (2020) and most recently Abbas Zahedi (2022).

Image credit:

Installation view of Sung Tieu’s film Moving Target Shadow Detection (2022) at FormaHQ. Courtesy of the artist, Frieze and Forma. Photo: Forma.

Video still of Sung Tieu’s film Moving Target Shadow Detection (2022) for the Frieze artist award. Courtesy of the artist, Frieze and Forma.

Exhibition Dates

19 November — 3 December 2022
Open Wednesday — Saturday, 11am — 5pm

Private view
Friday 18 November 2022, 6.00 — 9pm
Screening at 6.30pm followed by a conversation between Sung Tieu and Sam Thorne
No booking required

FormaHQ
140 Great Dover Street
SE1 4GW London
Map