SOAP is an online interactive project by artist Ting Tong Chang, aimed at exploring the possibility of using the internet as the main platform for exhibitions. SOAP reflects the situation during the pandemic in 2021, where many physical exhibitions were forced to cancel, and the internet became the only possible domain for exhibitions. Compared to traditional physical exhibitions, online exhibitions offer more innovation and possibilities, as they can break through the limitations of time and space, interact with audiences, and even mix with the real world.

SOAP takes the fake news event German Corpse Factory (Kadaververwertungsanstalt), which originated from the First World War, as its starting point. The German Corpse Factory was a false news that occurred during the First World War. In reality, Kadaververwertungsanstalt was an organization that actually existed in Germany, and its name translates to "animal carcass utilization facility." Its purpose was to process animal carcasses into various products, such as glue, fertilizer, and soap, as a means of disposing of animal remains. This organization played a key role in the German economy during both World War I and World War II, as it helped provide crucial resources needed for the wars. This method of utilizing animal carcasses was seen as an efficient and effective way of waste disposal and resource management.

Taking inspiration from this story, the artist team built a fictional factory within a real factory, and each scene in the video is a surreal combination of the actual factory and the artistic creation. It serves as both a soap production factory and an information production content farm.

The artist invited performers to play different roles in the production process, such as workers who mechanically inspect soap on the conveyor belt and long table, victims sinking in large mixing tanks, and indifferent managers. Both the factory and the performance refer to how information is mass-produced and consumed across different media and social platforms.

Unlike most online exhibitions that replicate real spaces through digital technology, the artist has created a fictional factory that only exists on the internet. Through video recordings of performances that take place on the site, and with the help of engineers, the artist has created a site-specific installation that exists in the virtual space.

Viewers of this work can wander around the virtual factory, following the drone's camera as it floats among industrial machinery. The viewing experience is reminiscent of video games. Viewers will notice many 3d soap symbols floating in the image. These are portals that lead to different storylines. By clicking on the soap symbols, viewers can explore different corners of the factory and observe various related events. Ultimately, they construct their own viewing path and explore the relationship between reality and virtuality.

project link: www.thesoapfactory.com.tw

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