The South China Sea monument

Abstract

South China Sea Monument (2016–2020) is an environmental art research project examining the contested waters of the semi-enclosed South China Sea—one of the world’s most disputed regions. Initially the research centred on the Spratly Islands, exploring territorial claims and the intricate mapping of a heavily militarised zone. The initial work, ‘Liquid Land Solid Sea’, visualised the area’s geopolitical and environmental flux, shaped by both human intervention and natural forces. Early iterations in Shanghai (2016) and Manchester (2017) highlighted the islands’ unstable geology and the overlapping sovereignty disputes involving China, Taiwan, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei. The multiplicity of island names across languages underscored the region’s complexity. In 2019, the research expanded as an interdisciplinary collaboration. As nations fortified maritime borders rather than fostering ecological stewardship, the research team, including maritime lawyer Agnes Chong and geographer Eric Laflamme, proposed repurposing the initial mapping to establish a legal framework for an extraterritorial Marine Protected Area (MPA). This shift emphasised biopolitics, as articulated by Michel Foucault in the 1970s and later redefined by philosopher Bruno Latour through his theories on the ecological regime and critical zones. This evolution led to its commission for the 2020 Taipei Biennale, curated by Latour. COVID-19 in Hong Kong and Latour’s terminal illness limited the presentation and dissemination. Despite this, the research underscored the need to rethink maritime governance through ecological and legal lenses, transcending territorial conflicts for sustainable stewardship. The themes continued and were re-presented at Arc En Reve, Bordeaux, France in 2025. Note: None of this material was submitted in the RAE 2019/20. The preliminary research began prior to the RAE 2026 the new research is fully part of Gutierez's research 2019–25.