Props Series – Paper City, video-installation, dimensions variable, 2009-2010
Chinese have a tradition of burning a variety of paper objects at funerals. In contrast to the ancient customs of sacrificing objects and people, this is a step forward in civilization. These paper objects are usually very creative and cheap: cars, luxurious houses, servants, security guards, beautiful concubines, even PHD diplomas. Through the combustion and transmission of objects, people can give the dead get what they want – anything they could possibly imagine. These paper objects are like props in film and theatre, which don’t have any useful value and exist as symbols. A perceptive audience can see and feel the traces of actor’s inner world through these props which have a spiritual significance. My work takes the idea of a film set and puts these paper objects into a real life scene. The slow burning shows the transmission from object world to spirit world. Let real life play in a fictional scene; let fabricated props burn and rise in a real theater.
