Lane Shi | Otay:onii
Troubadour / Sound
Installation Performer

Introduction:

This installation is a Part II continuation of { A Returning of } Part I,  a shadow play consists of drawn characters(sea monster) on a motor driven device made with wood sticks, main puppet character CC made out of discarded cardborads who sheds tears presented by bubbles blown out of the bubble gum. Part II focuses on the scene where the last child on earth CC cried out "Mother!" as the sea monster reveals its presence and the world crumbles to one last breath.

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Technology & Equipment

Arduino, Python, Raspberry Pi, motors, drawings, sound design production, 5.1surround sound system, model building.

Tech supported by Emmett Palaima

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Seed:

What means the end of the world? Losing all the savings in a casino downtown Los Angeles? Loss of a close friend? An embarrassed emotional breakdown in public?

 

The end of world—however we want to define it, is the environment background this story sets on, presented by 8 paintings in Part I for the details of the story: landscape collapsing: sea monsters reveals its face with terror, trees breaking branches, human falling down as the land sinks below, lava gushing out the volcano shaping like the tumor of the world…However, a songbird spotted a lost child CC, the last child on earth who was curling up in all this chaos, whispering "mama!" the naive voice echoed all around but without response. The last drop of tear falls down CC's right face, flows over the rubble and broken souls, slowly but surly landing in a cave, where CC lived and called home.

 

What is home to you? A house? A fire pit? A trusting lover? Or just a feeling of security and peace? Everyone has different definitions, however everyone desires to fulfill such emotion, it is instinctive, and it is one of the things that makes this world magical. A pure emotion gives human strength, endless encourages or even selfishness, such as the mother who protected the children with her own body in an earthquake. That pure emotion is the magic portal that lights up the “worlds” we are living in.                  

 

Concept in Actions:

The installation navigates the scenes in the shadow play by triggering sound/music sequenced and synchronized with the movements of the rotator and bubble gum (tear). As soon the rotator starts turning, the light shadows of sea monsters will occupy and swirl the space as a portrait of the scenery at the end of the world, in which the sea monster underlines the hidden fear bursting out of the buried minds; When the puppet character CC calls mother (audio), the world crumbles (audio) and the dripping tears (bubble gum) will start running , as the desire and hope for love that every human calls for but not shown. The Installation motivates to alert emergency for foundations of honest emotions, recognition of its power, respect to its function among all things necessary in the current and post modernity.

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