This project is a real time audiovisual performance about escapipng and decayed. The main character of the narrative is Ginseng. The reason we choose Ginseng as our narrative subject is because in Chinses traditonal culture, ginseng is a symbol of human beings. It is given human spirit and even looks like human. So we think ginsing can rise consiousness of the audience.
In this project, we aim to explore the concept of “朽“ (decayed), aiming to evoke a sense of the relentless passage of time and the irreversible nature of life. From the entanglement of vines to the absurdity of the anthropomorphic ginseng with noses and eyes, and further to the escape and decay of ginseng in a turquoise cage, each element is imbued with a surreal and inevitable aspect.
We connect escaping and decaying together in order to explore escapism. Escapism is the tendency to seek distraction, relief, or diversion from the routine and reality of everyday life, often through activities that provide a mental or emotional escape. People may engage in escapism to avoid facing challenges, stress, or unpleasant aspects of their lives. This can take various forms, including reading books, watching movies, playing video games, daydreaming, or participating in hobbies, all with the goal of mentally or emotionally disconnecting from the demands or pressures of the real world. Escapism is a common and natural human behavior, offering temporary respite or entertainment, but it becomes problematic when used excessively as a way to avoid addressing essential aspects of one’s life. Endless escaping will cause decayed. That’s why we create a beautiful particle dream of escaping but however after waking up, the ginseng is still in the cage and it is decayed.
For the third part, I had a spontaneous idea to pay homage to Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO), a band I greatly admire, particularly Ryuichi Sakamoto. I selected a lead segment from YMO’s “Behind The Mask” and boldly added some tonal variations to better integrate this melody into my music. The inclusion of YMO’s music added an extra layer of psychedelia and emotional richness to the entire audio, infusing a sense of awakening and subtle sadness into the third part. Personally, the third part became my favorite, perhaps owing to my deep appreciation for YMO.
When I struggled with how to express the middle chorus.This dilemma brings me to the most interesting aspect of our collaboration. While adjusting our work in the audiovisual studio, I unintentionally played some purely instrumental music that I found appealing. Sibyl adjusted her visual design based on a specific segment of this music. We found the resulting audiovisual collaboration remarkably satisfying, effectively portraying the ginseng’s joy after escaping, the grandeur of its dreams, and even encompassing the gradual decay and collapse of those dreams, seamlessly transitioning to the third part of the music. Consequently, I promptly decided to find a way to integrate this audiovisual segment into my music. This serendipitous inspiration born from collaboration and its subsequent application was a fascinating experience, showcasing the unique possibilities that arise from working together.
Since the final performance took place at Elevator Club, we spontaneously decided to incorporate a Techno segment to energize the audience. However, due to limited time for preparation, the transition in this segment wasn’t seamless, resulting in a slightly disjointed feel. Moreover, the visual aspect didn’t entirely synchronize with this Techno part, compromising the overall cohesion in this section.
During the actual performance, I felt that I controlled the music section very smoothly, and there were no annoying noises that plagued rehearsals. I was quite satisfied with my performance at that moment. The live sound system highlighted the percussion and bass sounds, creating an immersive experience on stage. Many friends expressed their appreciation for my music, especially the part paying tribute to YMO. I was genuinely happy about that.
However, upon listening to the playback, I identified several issues. For instance, I didn’t implement fade-ins and fade-outs for each section, creating a less comfortable listening experience due to abrupt emotional transitions. Additionally, I looped the same melody multiple times without adding volume variations, resulting in a sense of monotony over time. Changes in volume can influence the audience’s emotions, and I believe incorporating volume variations in future music productions can better convey emotions.
Lastly, in terms of visuals, the colors of the ginseng and the cage appeared too similar. As an audience member, it was challenging to distinguish the ginseng from the cage clearly. I believe that, rather than solely pursuing color tone consistency, it’s crucial to judiciously use contrasting colors to emphasize our narrative subject. This is a lesson I will take into consideration for my future visual designs.
