2025 | Video Installation | Projector, CRT & Digital TV | Space L553, W445, H218cm
#Experimental Cinema #Dream #Memory
In a forgotten corner of a computer, several old files exist. Upon opening them, one discovers footage dating back over twenty years - fragments of childhood saved in the home video system (VHS) tapes. These clips have evolved with the times, moving from videotape to storage on CDs and DVDs, and have since been neglected within a decaying computer.
Gazing at the past is like wandering in a dream, observing the fading outlines with a profound feeling - the carefree childhood moments are both heartwarming and nostalgic, while also provoking a sense of melancholy over the passage of time, the changes in people and relationships. These originally aged videos underwent digital restoration and color grading……
Eventually, 63 segments of these precious memories were excerpted and
arranged by their original shooting dates into a few slightly different editing sequences, appearing in one of the projection channels as a gently flowing stream of memories.
The projection channel on the other side presents a surging new wave:
abstract animations created using various digital techniques, forming a random flood that is sometimes stable, sometimes turbulent. This flood of vividly rendered animations was created by the artist under the grand theme of “Dream”, gradually evolving into sub-themes such as aspiration, nightmare and surrealism.
According to Domhoff’s theory “In that sense, dreams are based on a random spin of each person’s cognitive rolodex……” (Domhoff, 2022, p.137)
The memory stream of semi-random VHS fragments flows alongside a surging flood of random inserted animations - these two streams, as Old Dream and New Dream, will converge in one projection of the artwork. At this confluence, the artist references traditional yet captivating cinematic theory and technique - the Kuleshov Effect and multiple exposure. By transparently layering the two tributaries of moving images, the Old Dream and New Dream form an exchange, constructing semi-randomly generated visuals to express a new artistic vision that goes beyond the single-screen format.
Through the confluence of different times, my memories and the moving images I have produced intertwine to constitute me - “I” am not just a fragment of the past, nor confined to the present instant; “I” possess my own temporality. “The River Basin of Dream-like Images” captures the “dreams” of “I” across the temporal layers, while revealing why I have chosen not to use artificial intelligence to create the visuals.
夢像流域
2025 | 影像裝置 | 投影機、陰極管電視和數碼電視 | 空間長553，闊445，高218厘米
#實驗影院 #夢 #回憶
在電腦裏被遺忘的角落，有著數個舊檔案。打開一看，竟是二十多年前的片段。小時候的生活被拍下，成為家用錄像系統的錄影帶（VHS）。經過時代演變，這些片段改存於光碟（CD、DVD），最後被遺在破舊的電腦中。凝視昔日像徘徊夢境，觀察著那些模糊的輪廓，對片段中的人和事感覺奇妙 - 無憂無慮的童年時光使人溫暖又懷緬，令人唏噓時過境遷，人大了，關係也變了。這些原本老舊的影片，經過電腦後期修復和調色，節錄出63段珍貴的細瑣回憶，於《夢像流域》的其中一個投影頻道中，順著片段的拍攝日期，但以不同的剪輯連綿播放，形成一條淡淡流動的回憶溪流。
另一邊的投影頻道則是激盪的新潮流：它由各種現代手法渲染而成的抽象動畫隨機插播所組成，時而沉實，時而洶湧。關於這些持續盪漾的渲染影像，藝術家創作時以「夢」為大主題，慢慢演變出各種如夢想、惡夢和超現實等副題。
根據 Domhoff 的說法「從這個意義上說，夢是基於每個人的認知名冊中隨機翻轉的……」（Domhoff, 2022, p.137）半隨機VHS影片形成的回憶溪流，加上由抽象動畫隨機插播組成的激盪洪流 - 兩條源流從而形成了舊夢與新夢，而它們會在整件作品的其中一個投影畫面中匯合。在這個匯合點，藝術家參巧了傳統卻迷人的影像學說及手法 - 庫列肖夫效應和多重曝光。以透明狀態交疊新、舊夢的兩條流動影像支流，形成一條綜合交流，拼砌出半隨機生成的交錯影像和超越原來單畫面的新意境。
這個跨時間的匯合，包含了我的記憶和當刻的創作影像，它們組合出我 - 「我」不是過去的一點，也不是僅僅的「這刻」；「我」包含時間性。而這個夢像流域，記載了「我」各個時間上的「夢」，亦解釋了我未有假手人工智能去進行各種畫面創作的原因。
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Source:
Domhoff, G. W. (2022). The Neurocognitive Theory of Dreaming. The MIT Press.
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Captures
At the confluence, the artist references the Kuleshov Effect and multiple exposure. By transparently layering the two tributaries of moving images (3D render + old VHS video), they construct semi-randomly generated visuals to express a new artistic vision that goes beyond the single-screen format.
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Two streams on the ground guide visitors to the confluence.
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