The Broadcast Project: A Many Splendored Thing of the Coconut, a Belle from Penang and the Secret Agent

Photo of artwork display created by Malaysia artist, Au Sow-Yee, in the Taipei Biennial 2018. Titled “The Broadcast Project: A Many Splendored Thing of the Coconut, a Belle from Penang and the Secret Agent (2018),” this artwork revealed how humans manipulated the geographies of flora and fauna to sustain colonization. It integrated radio broadcasts, video works, and archival objects to illustrate the transport of various living creatures, such as tropical plants and horses from temperate zones, during the expansion of political power and borders in Asia. By such, this artwork invited viewers to reimagine the complex relationships between humans, other species, and nature.