In this city, being a poet soundlessly

2021

︎Wankeli, Longcheng Plaza, Longgang District, Shenzhen

About

This laser show is part of the Celebration of July 1^st of Longgang District 2021, took place in Longcheng Plaza, Longxiang Road for a month. When it comes to festivals and government departments, there are often stereotypes – a sense of dull, lengthy narratives, gaudy colors, and insincere praise. So, if I had the chance to be part of creating a laser show, how could I break free from these stereotypes and explore something fresh? Fortunately, I've maintained a close collaboration with my team, from selecting the theme to delving into the laser show's content, even conducting on-site experiments with laser effects. I've also dedicated considerable time to liaising with all parties to ensure the success of this laser show performance.
I chose 'soundlessly' rather than 'silently' to create a specific nuance in this work. In English, 'silent' often carries connotations of passivity or being silenced, as seen in expressions like 'keep quiet' and 'be silent'. This piece adopts a minimalist approach, expressing words through lasers and intentionally shunning the dazzle of sound, light, and complex visual effects. It opts to blend quietly into the night-time cityscape, offering a poem to the people of the city.
I hope to expand this laser show into a series in the future. The series will combine local characteristics of different cities and collaborate with local artists or art institutions to create public art activities with a rich humanistic flavor.

Creative process

The exploration of what kind of artwork to create to break through stereotypes is fascinating. Our examination of the project site revealed a commercial building predominantly constructed of glass and steel. This building is nestled amongst a mix of residential areas, commercial centers, and cultural venues, all contributing to a densely populated neighborhood. This poses an interesting question: what should we offer to the varied residents of this area?

While creating the laser show, my team and I explored various aspects to break stereotypes and craft new experiences:

1. We aimed to reflect Shenzhen's identity by highlighting its young demographic and immigrant history.

2. Our plan included an interactive laser show allowing audience participation, but budget constraints prevented its realization.

3. We considered integrating the building's glass and steel architecture into the show, however we had to abandon this idea due to environmental and financial limitations.

After detailed discussions, we concluded that while we are celebrating a national event, it's essential to focus on the lived experiences beneath the grand narrative. We aim to delve into humanity and emotions, returning to the essence of our living spaces, and providing the community residents with a unique public art experience.

On this premise, we further agreed that our laser show should integrate themes of social concern and mutual support, aspiring to instill a sense of belonging to the community. This led us to further research: How can we effectively merge art with social value? Our objective is not to present superficial slogans or trite catchphrases for community validation, but to offer an experience that embodies genuine humanistic care.

Ultimately, we believe that incorporating verses from local poets into the laser show could offer a fresh and innovative approach.

Medium

My team and I drew inspiration from renowned light festivals like France's Fête des Lumières in Lyon and the Amsterdam Light Festival in the Netherlands, as well as the laser projection art of Arthur Duff. Under the mentorship of Dr. Wu, my boss, we delved into the unique structural and calligraphic qualities of Chinese characters, seeking innovative ways to incorporate these elements into our creation.

Arthur Duff - Scatter, 2016

During our collaborative experiments with laser projector manufacturers, we experimented with various ways to display text, including mimicking handwriting strokes and creating a sliding text effect. We also explored different laser colors and discovered that green laser beams offer the most visually striking results. This effectiveness is influenced by factors such as the distance of projection, surrounding light conditions, and the quality of the air.

Text Content

We differentiated the shooting effects for each of the three text segments, and one segment even mimicked the stroke order of a handwritten Chinese character. As connected with the content's time markers of 7:00, 8:00, and 9:00, we intentionally set the laser projector to start our laser show on the exact time.

I have selected and reformed the writings of a variety of poets who had connected Shenzhen deeply, including 王小妮 Wang Xiaoni and 黄灿然 Huang Canran.

These poets are vibrant figures in today's literary scene. After researching, I believe Wang Xiaoni, who moved to Shenzhen in 1985, is particularly relevant. She has observed the city's three-decade transformation and the growing pains of its economic development, giving her a profound and authentic understanding of this place. Moreover, her works, filled with plant imagery, resonate with our laser show's aim to offer an escape from urban chaos and steer clear of grand narratives and overarching concepts. Wang Xiaoni once remarked in an interview that poetry is not found in the mundane but in fleeting moments, often unnoticed by others. It is precisely these ephemeral, poetic instances that our show seeks to capture, offering a momentary poetic respite, even if artificial, to a weary soul.

For the selection of poems this time, I chose some excerpts from Wang Xiaoni's "Become a Poet Again" (重新做一个诗人)and Huang Canran's "Light"(光).

The theme of the text is the city and its people, thus we tried to shape a dialogue from the text that begins with a greeting and chose some poems that contain everyday landscapes to evoke the resonance of everyday life for each citizen.
In finalizing the script for this show, certain words were restricted during the vetting process due to our client being a government department. We revised and edited some of the poetic texts after V Studio obtained consent from the poet.

Here are some parts of our script;

It's seven o'clock.

Is the shift over?

The sun has set

But the light is still very abundant

Moving in the vast sky

The field of view swept by

A group of tall buildings

Far and near

Catalyzed by the light

Towering, sacred, solemn

It's eight o'clock

Have you eaten yet?

Paddle the oranges

A fine gush of juice

Let the layers of blue light

Into a world never described

No one sees me

Wisps of light as thin as silk

I am in this city

Soundlessly being a poet

It's nine o'clock

At the end of the day

The ground bounces

People

Looking into the distance

(*this is an unofficial English translation scrip of the origial poem)

七点了

下班了吗？

太阳已落山

但光还非常充沛

在辽阔的空中运动着

视野掠过

一群群高楼

远的近的

在光的催化下

高耸、神圣、肃穆

八点了

吃饭了吗？

划开桔子

细密喷涌的汁水

让一层层蓝光

进入从未描述的世界

没人看见我

一缕缕细密如丝的光

我在这城里

无声地做着一个诗人

九点了

在一天的末尾

大地弹跳着

人们

眺望远方

Info Instagram

Index
Installation+

Video+

Graphic Arts+

Digital Landscape+

Past Event+

Painting+

Performance+

Curatorial program +

Press+

Info

CV

In this city, being a poet soundlessly

About

Creative process

Medium

Text Content

Index Next︎