NARRATOR:

Six Small Turntables, was created in 1989 by Huang Yong Ping, using a leather case, ink on wood, and black-and-white photographic print. The work measures 57 centimetres high by 44 centimetres wide and 77 centimetres deep when the leather case is opened.

This work incorporates a black leather case resting on a white pedestal. The case has two handles in the front, zips on three sides, and is open. Inside the leather case is a stack of six wooden concentric turntables. Each one is smaller than the one stacked beneath it. These wooden discs are white in colour. The surface of each disc contains a different amount of equally spaced numbers starting from ‘0’. They are marked along the circumference with pale black ink. Attached to the interior of the top cover of the case is a black-and-white photograph of the black case and discs. The photograph is printed on ordinary paper and is placed inside a plastic sleeve. Operation guidelines and instructions are written all over the photograph in simplified Chinese characters. The case in the photograph is opened just like the physical work and the interior of its top cover also has an image of the discs attached.

The white paint on the physical turntables is beginning to flake. The words ‘Huang Yong Ping, 1989, 2’ in Simplified Chinese mixed with Arabic numbers are written on the first or uppermost disc, with just a single ‘0’ visible on it. On the instructions, words depict this layer as ‘Top Cover Tract’, ‘to Move and Not to Move equals to Create or Not to Create’, open bracket, ‘both’, close bracket. The numbers ‘1’ and ‘0’ are quoted below the words ‘to move’ and ‘not to move’ respectively.

Next, the second disc contains eight numbers. They begin with ‘0’ and increase with an increment of ‘45’ degrees. On the instructions, this disc is described as ‘Front Tract’, ‘Where to Move’, open bracket, ‘Regulations of Space and Position’, close bracket. ‘1 to 360 Degrees’.

The third disc is numbered from ‘1’ to ‘24’. Words written on the instructions are ‘Central Scroll Tract’ and ‘When to Move’.

The fourth is numbered from ‘1’ to ‘64’, which the user guide refers to as ‘Post- Tract’, ‘What to Move’ and ‘Materials’ in brackets.

On the circumference of the fifth disc are hundreds of numbers written very close to each other in lines. The instructions read ‘Book Tract’, ‘How to Move’ and ‘Random Numbers’ in brackets.

Numbers from ‘1’ to ‘392’ are faintly printed on the sixth disc, which is also the base of the turntables. The levelling and direction of the numbers are different. Some are placed higher than the others, while some numbers are grouped together in a line. The instructions read ‘Wedge Tract’ and ‘How to Reference’.

Written on the top right corner of the instructions is ‘Edward Lucie-Smith, ART TODAY, FROM ABSTRACT EXPRESSIONISM TO SUPERREALISM, PHAIDON OXFORD’ in English. Below it is written ‘392 photographs of “Contemporary Arts” Arts History’ in simplified Chinese.

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