Between the 4th December 2014 until the 15th March 2015, the Australian Centre of Moving Images (ACMI) exhibited works of China’s "most celebrated avant garde filmmaker" (Tulloch, B 2015), Yang Fudong.
Trained at the China Academy of Fine Art in Hangzhou, FuDong spent three months in a vow of silence as part of art training ,which allowed for a heightened sensitivity and the understanding of different ways of communication (gesture and movement) to be developed. This understanding plays a major role in contributing to his art work. Filmscapes features four film installations: The Fifth Night (2010), The Nightman Cometh (2011), The Coloured Sky: New Women II (2014) and East of Que Village (2007).
Walking downstairs and hearing music coming from the bottom, it was dark as you enter the exhibition space. Greeting you was an enlarged image of a man and another of a woman, in black and white and shadowed, as if fading into the darkness of the wall. Already, the world outside this art space was far away, allowing for the viewers mind to disengage from distraction and to focus on 'China up Close'.
Yang FuDong was born in Beijing in 1971, during the time of the Cultural Revolution in China. This social-political movement has inspired him to explore his generations perception of their identity, as well as defining themselves in the world, through the medium of film. Renowned for his use of 35mm black and white film, Filmscapes demonstrates his interest with both traditional Chinese painting and the Western cinema. Jim Jarmusch and Jean-Luc Godard, Fudong claims, are some of his influences in filmmaking, amongst the Shanghai films from the 1920's and 30's (ACMI, 2014), which is evident in the first instillation of the exhibition, The Fifth Night.
The room opened up, exposing a wall with seven screens, which pays tribute to the traditional Chinese scrolls. The viewer sits with a sense of isolation while in the darkness and watching the multiple perspectives on each of the screens The noise was bleak, like the images presented, making the experience eerie and unsettling with the open-ended and somewhat unsatisfying narrative. This film noir piece was shot in a 1930's replica film-set at the Shanghai Film Shooting Base; the stylistic choice invoking an air of mystery with no particular context being introduced for plot or character. I found out later that each camera used different lenses when filming, which was a subtle addition to the instillation, forcing a new interpretation for me: whether it represents individuals in society and how everyone can look at the same thing, but see something or process that thing completely different to someone else.
Despite feeling disconnected from the piece, due to the lack of conventional story to follow, the unique filming technique- of all angles being shot at the same time- was intriguing and allowed me to continue watching the10 minute and 37 second film with captivation. Fudong's intention may well have been this, to keep it ambiguous/ open ended, to reflect the viewer’s own indecisive interpretation (the idea of the undrawn part of the work is for the audience to interpret).
While The Fifth Night allowed for me to hold interest, The Nightman Cometh (though aesthetically pleasing) the surrealist 19 minutes and 21 seconds single film, did not. I found it too busy, with characters from different eras walking in and out of this dream-like snowscape, and completely spontaneous objects being featured, holding a multitude of symbolic meaning, that it became abusive for the viewer to digest any information. With a surround sound as well, it was too much for me to focus on, as everything in this instillation became meaningless. The film featured a wounded soldier, which Fudong aimed to dramatise "the clash between [the] hero’s social role or ‘mask’, and the more authentic face of his instincts and aspirations" (ACMI, 2014), which I personally didn't recognise.
"Remember the way the wrapper of a candy had a dazzling rainbow colour when you put it against a sunbeam?" (Yang Fudong) Entering the next room and into bursts of vivid colour, The Coloured Sky: New Women II (sequel to New Women 2013) embodied the concept of the surreal. Manufactured and glossed over to be perfect and into the realm of the unsettling unnatural, everything was designed to look as if they were on display. It appeared as though the ladies were dolls in their bathing suits, whose purpose was to entertain others. Fudong's intention for this five screen piece, was to "examine the secret desires and anxieties of young women as they come of age" (ACMI, 2014) which can be interpreted to be the case when looking at the animals used in the films, eg. the snake, which is an animal that can provoke anxiety. However, I wouldn't interpret this piece as looking at the perspective of women in China, rather, looking at China's history of perception of women. When looking at this artificial dream-like landscape, the exposure of female sexuality can be seen as exploitive, which can ultimately be a commentary on China's history of concubinage. Despite the feeling of unease when observing this instillation, it stimulates the viewer to think about the contemporary idealisation of the female form, that has been constructed by a males fantasy, thus making The Coloured Sky: New Women II a vociferous piece.
With grainy film, compared to the colourful vivid clarity of the previous room, East of Que Village returns to black and white and raw. Ailing dogs gnawing at skulls of dead animals and the sound of a traditional Chinese high pitched string instruments, this six screen instillation was grotesque and provoked intense emotions of devastation, from a viewer. Stray dogs, people being captured and executed, etc., these horrific themes were a rude awakening by this fabricated 'documentary,' filmed in the rural province of Hebei. The confrontation with death can cause a viewer to respond in contemplation of "what is a life?" while witnessing the contrast between human nature and animal nature. Fudong "was assailed by this feeling of emptiness, as if [he'd] been filming while floating in midair. Struck by a powerful urge to come back down to earth for the next work, [he] turned [his] attention to the real world" (Fudong, ACMI 2014), considering the struggles of these people of rural villages due to the industrialisation that is occurring in China. His intentions were achieved; this piece was certainly a powerful statement.
References:
Australian Centre for the Moving Image (2014), China Up Close: Between the screens (online), retrieved 13th April 2015 from http://betweenthescreens.acmi.net.au/index.html
ACMI (2014), Interview with Yang Fudong (online), retrieved 13th April 2015 from https://www.acmi.net.au/acmi-channel/2014/an-interview-with-yang-fudong/
Tulloch, Brihony (16th January 2015), Yang Fudong: Filmscapes (online), retrieved 13th April 2015 from
http://screen.artshub.com.au/au/news.aspx?contentTypeCatId=122&CategoryId=5168&ListingId=246888&HubId=3&CategoryGroupId=$%7Bmapfile_categorygroups:%7D
Zhenhua, Li (2012) ‘Yang Fudong interview’, Bomb, issue 118, pp. 56-63
Trained at the China Academy of Fine Art in Hangzhou, FuDong spent three months in a vow of silence as part of art training ,which allowed for a heightened sensitivity and the understanding of different ways of communication (gesture and movement) to be developed. This understanding plays a major role in contributing to his art work. Filmscapes features four film installations: The Fifth Night (2010), The Nightman Cometh (2011), The Coloured Sky: New Women II (2014) and East of Que Village (2007).
Walking downstairs and hearing music coming from the bottom, it was dark as you enter the exhibition space. Greeting you was an enlarged image of a man and another of a woman, in black and white and shadowed, as if fading into the darkness of the wall. Already, the world outside this art space was far away, allowing for the viewers mind to disengage from distraction and to focus on 'China up Close'.
Yang FuDong was born in Beijing in 1971, during the time of the Cultural Revolution in China. This social-political movement has inspired him to explore his generations perception of their identity, as well as defining themselves in the world, through the medium of film. Renowned for his use of 35mm black and white film, Filmscapes demonstrates his interest with both traditional Chinese painting and the Western cinema. Jim Jarmusch and Jean-Luc Godard, Fudong claims, are some of his influences in filmmaking, amongst the Shanghai films from the 1920's and 30's (ACMI, 2014), which is evident in the first instillation of the exhibition, The Fifth Night.
The room opened up, exposing a wall with seven screens, which pays tribute to the traditional Chinese scrolls. The viewer sits with a sense of isolation while in the darkness and watching the multiple perspectives on each of the screens The noise was bleak, like the images presented, making the experience eerie and unsettling with the open-ended and somewhat unsatisfying narrative. This film noir piece was shot in a 1930's replica film-set at the Shanghai Film Shooting Base; the stylistic choice invoking an air of mystery with no particular context being introduced for plot or character. I found out later that each camera used different lenses when filming, which was a subtle addition to the instillation, forcing a new interpretation for me: whether it represents individuals in society and how everyone can look at the same thing, but see something or process that thing completely different to someone else.
Despite feeling disconnected from the piece, due to the lack of conventional story to follow, the unique filming technique- of all angles being shot at the same time- was intriguing and allowed me to continue watching the10 minute and 37 second film with captivation. Fudong's intention may well have been this, to keep it ambiguous/ open ended, to reflect the viewer’s own indecisive interpretation (the idea of the undrawn part of the work is for the audience to interpret).
 |
| 'The Fifth Night' 2010 |
 |
| 'The Nightman Cometh' 2011 |
 |
| 'The Coloured Sky: New Women II' 2014 |
With grainy film, compared to the colourful vivid clarity of the previous room, East of Que Village returns to black and white and raw. Ailing dogs gnawing at skulls of dead animals and the sound of a traditional Chinese high pitched string instruments, this six screen instillation was grotesque and provoked intense emotions of devastation, from a viewer. Stray dogs, people being captured and executed, etc., these horrific themes were a rude awakening by this fabricated 'documentary,' filmed in the rural province of Hebei. The confrontation with death can cause a viewer to respond in contemplation of "what is a life?" while witnessing the contrast between human nature and animal nature. Fudong "was assailed by this feeling of emptiness, as if [he'd] been filming while floating in midair. Struck by a powerful urge to come back down to earth for the next work, [he] turned [his] attention to the real world" (Fudong, ACMI 2014), considering the struggles of these people of rural villages due to the industrialisation that is occurring in China. His intentions were achieved; this piece was certainly a powerful statement.
Yang Fudong's Filmscapes was evocative; exploring themes of identity, the changing climate of China, as well as tradition, making the overall exhibition an educational experience for the viewer.
Australian Centre for the Moving Image (2014), China Up Close: Between the screens (online), retrieved 13th April 2015 from http://betweenthescreens.acmi.net.au/index.html
ACMI (2014), Interview with Yang Fudong (online), retrieved 13th April 2015 from https://www.acmi.net.au/acmi-channel/2014/an-interview-with-yang-fudong/
Tulloch, Brihony (16th January 2015), Yang Fudong: Filmscapes (online), retrieved 13th April 2015 from
http://screen.artshub.com.au/au/news.aspx?contentTypeCatId=122&CategoryId=5168&ListingId=246888&HubId=3&CategoryGroupId=$%7Bmapfile_categorygroups:%7D
Zhenhua, Li (2012) ‘Yang Fudong interview’, Bomb, issue 118, pp. 56-63
No comments:
Post a Comment